WHAT IS EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been proven effective for the treatment of trauma, anxiety, grief, depression, addictions and other mental health issues.  When a person goes through a traumatic event or period in life, that moment or event may become "frozen in time," and remembering it may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells, and feelings haven’t changed. Such memories may have a lasting negative effect that interferes with the way a person sees the world and the way they relate to other people. Using bilateral stimulation (alternating eye movements, vibrating hand buzzers or audio tones) to simulate REM sleep, EMDR therapy aims to desensitize our body's response to past traumatic or disturbing events and connect other protective resources to the memory, all while staying in the present moment.

When normal information processing is resumed following EMDR treatment, a person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind. You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches and for some people can be more effective and quicker than traditional talk therapy. In our first session, we can talk about whether EMDR may be helpful for you.

​