“The world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.” –Helen Keller
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful form of psychotherapy used to resolve disturbing memories, fears or anxieties, past or present. I was trained by the originator, Francis Shapiro in 1993, while trying to find a way to help clients resolve issues more quickly and with less emotional pain. Although EMDR is particularly known for helping rape victims and combat soldiers suffering from battle related distress, it can also be used for traumas involving emotional, physical, sexual or spiritual abuse.
People who experience or witness a traumatic incident may re-live that memory over and over, even many years later. Flashbacks, hurtful beliefs about oneself or the world, nightmares, and misinterpretations of other’s motives can stem from the troubling event.
People who experience or witness a traumatic incident may re-live that memory over and over, even many years later. Flashbacks, hurtful beliefs about oneself or the world, nightmares, and misinterpretations of other’s motives can stem from the troubling event.
During EMDR, we begin by agreeing on a memory that is upsetting. If that is hard to find, we go for a feeling, like anxiety or the sense that you are being cheated, and go backward to a memory or time when that began. We also identify beliefs that spring from these memories, like, “I will never be safe,” or “I should have done something,” or “I will never be good enough.” We explore the emotions and body sensations that stem from the episode.
Then we commence with a round of eye movement, where you follow my fingers back and forth, for 15-30 seconds. You then give me feedback about what you remembered, felt, or thought during the eye movement. We do eye movement again and continue the processing until you have resolved the disturbance and have come to embrace healthier beliefs about yourself.
Why is EMDR so effective in resolving hurts and maladaptive beliefs? Possibly, it is because the eye movement helps us process emotional material in the way REM sleep does. Recent studies show that EMDR decreases the vividness and negative emotion associated with a person’s difficult memories, enhances retrieving those memories, and increases a person’s mental flexibility. Simultaneously, EMDR has positive physical effects, like decreasing heart rate.
Then we commence with a round of eye movement, where you follow my fingers back and forth, for 15-30 seconds. You then give me feedback about what you remembered, felt, or thought during the eye movement. We do eye movement again and continue the processing until you have resolved the disturbance and have come to embrace healthier beliefs about yourself.
Why is EMDR so effective in resolving hurts and maladaptive beliefs? Possibly, it is because the eye movement helps us process emotional material in the way REM sleep does. Recent studies show that EMDR decreases the vividness and negative emotion associated with a person’s difficult memories, enhances retrieving those memories, and increases a person’s mental flexibility. Simultaneously, EMDR has positive physical effects, like decreasing heart rate.
“…just as despair can come to one another only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.” – Elie Wiesel