Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a type of psychotherapy that was created to help patients deal with a variety of unpleasant memories. EMDR is most commonly used for trauma-induced disorders.

Essentially, EMDR works by helping patients to completely deal with their memories by fully processing them. Part of the treatment for EMDR involves bilateral stimulation of the brain. Bilateral sound, eye movements, or bilateral tactile stimulation are combined with visualized images and various types of body sensation to produce the most effective results. Many clinicians believe that this type of therapy is quite valid for desensitizing patients to their traumatic memories.

The basic belief behind EMDR is that eye movements help to reduce the acuteness of traumatic memories. During the treatment process, patients are asked to focus on a traumatic event in their lives so that their memories can be reprogrammed to be more positive. The utilization of eye movement is thought to aid in this process.

During treatment through the use of EMDR, patients experience a dual awareness that allows them to alternate between visualizing their traumatic memories and being aware of their present surroundings. The use of eye movement in this type of treatment helps to reduce the negative emotions and sharpness of the memories that are associated with past traumas. It also helps to induce some physiological changes that aid in the treatment process.

Therapists who use EMDR treatment help patients to create a link between a past traumatic episode and the use of rapid directional eye movement. One of the keys to the success of this treatment is for patients to allow themselves to consciously think about a traumatic event while also placing themselves in the present to focus on the therapy at hand. If this treatment is given a fair amount of time, the traumatic memories will eventually become desensitized and may actually be replaced with more positive thoughts.

Some professionals believe that EMDR is quite similar to REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). Rapid eye movements can not only help relieve anxiety, but can also put events into a different perspective, allowing patients to view past traumas from a healthier point of view that is much easier for them to live with.

EMDR therapy is generally broken down into the following phases:

1. Client history and treatment planning
2. Preparation for therapy sessions
3. Assessment
4. Reprocessing, desensitization, and installation
5. Body scan
6. Closure
7. Reevaluation

EMDR was developed 22 years ago, so it is still a relatively new type of treatment. It is important that patients seek assistance only from those therapists who have been specially trained in the use of EMDR.