What is EMDR?
|
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that helps your brain heal from upsetting or traumatic experiences. It’s an evidence-based treatment for trauma and PTSD, and it can also help with things like anxiety, low self-esteem, and “stuck” patterns that don’t seem to change.
A simple way to think of it: when something overwhelming happens, your brain sometimes doesn’t fully process it. It’s like a wound that didn’t get cleaned out—it can stay sensitive and painful for a long time. EMDR helps your brain finish that processing so the memory can move into the past, instead of feeling like it’s happening right now. |
How EMDR Helps
During EMDR, you and your therapist identify specific memories, images, or beliefs that still feel charged or distressing. Then, while you briefly bring those to mind, your therapist guides you through “bilateral stimulation” (often eye movements, tapping, or sounds that go back and forth).
This gentle back-and-forth helps your brain:
You don’t have to go into every detail of what happened for EMDR to work, and you stay in control of the process at all times.
What Does the Research Say?
EMDR has been studied for over 30 years. Research shows it can significantly reduce symptoms of PTSD and trauma, often in fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy. Because of this, organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization recognize EMDR as an effective treatment for trauma-related difficulties.
Therapists all over the world use EMDR, and millions of people have benefitted from it.
What to Expect
EMDR is an eight-phase treatment, but in simple terms you can expect to:
The goal of EMDR isn’t to erase memories, but to help them become less painful and less controlling. Many people describe feeling lighter, calmer, and more able to move forward with their lives.
Source:
During EMDR, you and your therapist identify specific memories, images, or beliefs that still feel charged or distressing. Then, while you briefly bring those to mind, your therapist guides you through “bilateral stimulation” (often eye movements, tapping, or sounds that go back and forth).
This gentle back-and-forth helps your brain:
- Make new, healthier connections
- Reduce the emotional intensity of the memory
- Replace painful beliefs (like “I’m powerless” or “It was my fault”) with more accurate, balanced ones (such as “I did the best I could” or “I’m safe now”)
You don’t have to go into every detail of what happened for EMDR to work, and you stay in control of the process at all times.
What Does the Research Say?
EMDR has been studied for over 30 years. Research shows it can significantly reduce symptoms of PTSD and trauma, often in fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy. Because of this, organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization recognize EMDR as an effective treatment for trauma-related difficulties.
Therapists all over the world use EMDR, and millions of people have benefitted from it.
What to Expect
EMDR is an eight-phase treatment, but in simple terms you can expect to:
- Talk with your therapist about your history, symptoms, and goals.
- Learn coping skills to help you feel grounded and safe.
- Target specific memories or themes that are still affecting you.
- Process those memories using bilateral stimulation, checking in regularly about what you’re noticing.
- Notice the shift as distress decreases and more empowering beliefs take root.
The goal of EMDR isn’t to erase memories, but to help them become less painful and less controlling. Many people describe feeling lighter, calmer, and more able to move forward with their lives.
Source:
For more information: www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/
High Quality Counseling in Albuquerque, NM
