top of page

{EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing}

EMDR, developed in 1987 by Dr. Francine Shapiro is a powerful form of psychotherapy that assists with left brain - right brain integration of past negative experiences. EMDR is an evidenced based therapy and has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. Although EMDR was originally developed to treat trauma, to date, EMDR has helped millions of individuals to relieve a variety of of psychological conditions including trauma and PTSD, anxiety, performance anxiety, fear, stress, adjustment difficulties, eating disorders, body image and body dysmorphic disorders, grief, addictions, dissociation, and recurring memories.   

 

As incredible as our brains are, traumatic experiences can overwhelm the processing ability and small pieces of the trauma remain stuck in our brain, frozen in time. Eye movements assist the brain to reprocess and desensitize these “frozen” experiences and allow adaptive information processing to resume. Eye movements have been researched and found to reduce the intensity of disturbing past events, allowing memories to remain intact while negative emotional experiences are neutralized.  Clients process in a way that leads to peaceful resolution and increased insight into past events and negative belief patterns.

 

EMDR uses a set of standardized protocols and integrates a variety of therapeutic modalities. In an EMDR session, the therapist will lead the client in a set of lateral eye movements while the client focus on the target memory. Left-right eye movements are administered in a variety of ways and lead to rapid resolution of psychological and physical problems. 

​

Additional Resources

bottom of page