What is EMDR?

EMDR® is a psychotherapy used to treat troubling symptoms, such as anxiety, guilt, anger, depression, panic, sleep disturbance, and flashbacks that are the result of traumatic experiences. Traditional therapies have met with limited success in treating victims of trauma. Not only has EMDR therapy been proven effective in reducing the chronic symptoms which follow trauma, the therapy benefits appear to be permanent. Since Dr. Shapiro's first published research study in 1989, EMDR ® has developed and evolved through the contributions of therapists and researchers all over the world. It now incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, it has helped millions of people of all ages who have received relief from many different kinds of psychological distress.
Please watch the 3 videos on this page which provide clear, explanations about EMDR, produced by the EMDR Association UK and Ireland.

What does EMDR stand for?

Eye Movement. 
Beneficial effects are facilitated by an alternating stimulation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Eye movements accomplish this, as do bilateral alternating hand taps or audio tones.
Desensitisation  refers to the removal of the emotional disturbance associated with a traumatic memory.
Reprocessing  refers to the replacement of the unhealthy, negative beliefs associated with traumatic memories, with more healthy, positive beliefs.

EMDR in action

What is an EMDR session like?First, client and therapist work together to collect basic information about the traumatic experience. The most disturbing part of the incident is identified and becomes the processing target. Example: Image of the rapist’s face. The negative belief connected to the trauma is identified. Example: I’ll never get over this. And a preferred, positive belief is named. Example: It’s over, I can move on with my life now. Next, client is asked to rate (on a 1-7 scale) how true the positive belief feels when paired with the target. Usually it does not feel very true at this point. Client is asked to name the emotions the target elicits, to rate the associated distress level (on a 0-10 scale), and to locate the disturbance in the body. Example: Fear and shame, with disturbance level 10, in belly and chest. 
Then, client is asked to hold in awareness the target, the negative belief, and the disturbing body sensations. At the same time, the therapist guides the client’s eyes to move rapidly back and forth. This is done in sets, which may last from a few seconds to a few minutes. During each set the client is instructed to just notice whatever changes occur in mind and body, without controlling the experience in any way. Very often, in the first few sets there is an increase in the disturbance level. After awhile, with each new set, the target becomes less and less disturbing and the positive belief feels more and more true. The target is completely processed when recall of the image no longer brings up disturbing emotions, and the preferred positive belief feels totally true. Example: Client recalls that the rapist’s face was threatening then but does not feel threatened by the image anymore. (Bilateral audio tones or taps are an alternative to eye movements)

How does EMDR work ?

How does EMDR® work?
Research to answer this question is now in progress at The Human Resource Institute’s Trauma Center in Brookline, MA. Researchers there are using SPECT brain-scan imaging to map the changes that occur after EMDR ® treatments. It is known that the brain has a natural mechanism for processing disturbing events, however, when a traumatic experience is overwhelming the brain may not be able to process it in the usual way. That is why severely traumatized people often find themselves stuck in disturbing memories long after the traumatic event. Research suggests that an important part of the natural trauma processing happens during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which provides alternating stimulation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. This may help explain why EMDR therapy seems to jump-start the brain’s natural healing ability, allowing the traumatic memory to become less and less disturbing.

Key Benefits

• EMDR often resolves emotional disturbances and trauma where other therapies have failed.
• EMDR is effective for most anxiety based disorders.
• EMDR should not be confused with hypnotherapy. EMDR is a client led therapy and always remains within the control of the client.
• EMDR is capable of rapid results.

Conditions suitable for therapy:
EMDR is particularly suitable for the treatment of the following conditions: 

• Trauma (resulting from accidents, disasters and emotional distress)
• Bereavement
• Addiction and substance abuse
• Eating disorders
• Depression
• Phobias
• Abuse (verbal, physical and sexual)
• Self-esteem issues

Introduction to EMDR by the founder Francine Shapiro

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