What is Eye Movement, Desensitization, and Reprocessing (EMDR)?

EMDR is a therapeutic approach based on the belief that all humans have an inherent adaptive drive towards health and wholeness. It is designed to help individuals process and resolve emotionally charged past experiences that negatively impact their present thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. These experiences may include such things as abuse, neglect, sexual assault, medical procedures, war, accidents, natural disasters, and relationship issues. EMDR therapy focuses on how these events have impacted the person and the resulting symptoms, rather than the specific details of the events themselves.

EMDR utilizes the brain’s innate capacity for learning and adaptation to process past emotionally-charged experiences that hinder current functioning. Through a structured approach and bilateral stimulation techniques, such as eye movements or tapping, EMDR aims to reprocess negative memories, enabling individuals to release past traumas or adverse experiences and update their emotional responses. This distinctive therapeutic method aims to resolve the interference from unresolved memories, promoting adaptive learning and emotional healing.