EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Therapy) is a structured therapy that has been repeatedly proven to be a highly effective treatment for trauma-related disorders among others. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after a person experiences a single or multiple events that are so distressing or overwhelming to them that they cannot process the incident in a way that enables healing and resolution. These incidents can be

traumas related to exposure to danger, such as assault, rape, violence, abuse, natural disasters, etc. But they can also arise from less obvious adverse experiences including divorce, bullying, constant criticism or belittling, shame, humiliation, etc. Chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) may develop when a person is exposed to repeated or long-term traumas including ongoing domestic violence or childhood abuse. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.

PTSD symptoms frequently include:

• Insomnia• Hypervigilance

• Avoiding situations, places, or other things relating to the traumatic event

• Low self-esteem

• Difficulty concentrating

• irritability

 

People with CPTSD often have additional symptoms including challenges with:

• Emotion regulation

• Sense of self; identity

• Relationships

• Negative sense of self

• Difficulty trusting (or overly trusting)

 

During EMDR, the patient briefly focuses on the distressing memory while concurrently experiencing bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or sounds on the right and left sides of the body). This promotes a reduction in the vividness and emotional intensity associated with these trauma memories. Ongoing research backs up positive clinical outcomes showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, unexpected or traumatic death of a loved one, and other distressing life experiences.

 

What makes EMDR therapy different is that it does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue. EMDR therapy enables the brain to resume its natural healing process. EMDR therapy’s orientation is to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. The list of national and international organizations that recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment is extensive, and includes the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the World Health Organization, among others. Visit www.EMDRIA.org for more information.