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EMDR Therapy (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) was discovered in 1987 by Francine Shapiro, PhD. It is highly effective for curing and healing a lot of kinds of trauma, from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to depression. These are the most trusted, Dr. Shapiro and her co-workers helped validate the role eye movement plays in healing the brain by studying brain wave activity. This has resulted in a successful treatment called EMDR therapy which could help patients cope up with the trauma or disorder they are suffering from.
EMDR therapy is a psychotherapy treatment that has been validate by numerous studies by the scientific community as an effective way for individuals to address and resolve traumatic experiences, including chronic stress and trauma. It is not surprising to see how this type of therapy has gained so much momentum throughout the years. The Eye movement desensitization from reprocessing or EMDR therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses bilateral stimulation which involves processing negative thoughts or emotions in order to promote relaxation, balance the emotions and replenish the mind. It also aids people who have suffered from traumas or post-traumatic stress disorder. This blog will discuss about EMDR therapy and it’s basics.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy is a treatment for trauma that has been proven effective by many clinical studies. It has helped people with PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders and phobias.
It was developed by Francine Shapiro to treat victims of violent crimes who had not been helped by other treatments. The acronym EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is usually used in conjunction with another therapy called Psychotherapy or Talk Therapy.
Methods Used in Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR therapy is a very specific form of treatment that uses eye movements to help patients reprocess traumatic memories. It’s important to note that EMDR isn’t a one-size fits all approach, and there are many different ways to practice it. Each therapist will tailor their approach based on their own background and the needs of their clients. However, most sessions will follow this general protocol:
Preparatory Stage – This stage is where therapists focus on building trust between themselves and their client in order to create an environment where it feels safe for them to explore difficult memories without becoming overwhelmed by emotionality or anxiety related symptoms like hypervigilance (feeling constantly on guard), flashbacks (re-experiencing an event) or insomnia.
Set Up Phase – During this phase therapists identify which target emotions/thoughts/images need addressing during EMDR therapy so that they can work with those first instead of trying to address everything at once which could cause overwhelm for both parties involved since much like going into therapy unprepared would result in less effective results here too if we don’t know what exactly we want out of our session beforehand!
The Goals and Outcomes of EMDR
The goals of EMDR therapy are to process thoughts and feelings about the memory, reduce the emotional distress that is connected to it, separate the memory from the emotional distress, reduce unhelpful beliefs about self formed because of trauma, and reduce avoidance behaviors that were formed because of trauma.
When EMDR can be useful?
EMDR therapy is an evidence-based treatment that works to help clients resolve traumatic and other unresolved memories, reduce negative emotions associated with those memories and improve their day-to-day functioning.
EMDR was originally developed as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but has been found to be effective in treating a variety of other disorders as well. These include:
Secondary trauma
Drug addiction
Self-esteem and confidence issues
Anxiety, panic attacks and phobias
Should You Consider EMDR Treatment?
EMDR therapy can be an effective way to treat trauma. If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, physical or emotional abuse, or if you have suffered from domestic violence or natural disasters such as fires and earthquakes, EMDR therapy can help.
Because EMDR is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD, it has been found to be effective in treating all kinds of traumatic experiences. These include:
Sexual Assault
Physical Abuse
Domestic Violence
Natural Disasters (examples include fires and earthquakes)
EMDR therapy can also be used on children who have experienced trauma such as the loss of a parent or other loved one; however, because there are not enough studies on this topic at this time to determine whether EMDR works for children with trauma just yet