Learn about EMDR Therapy
WHAT IS EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a form of therapy that helps people heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences.
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help. Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment or of being frozen in time. EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved, and the memory feels farther away or even neutral emotionally.
EMDR therapy has been extensively researched and is recognized as an effective treatment for PTSD by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense. Other organizations that recognize EMDR therapy as effective are the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and many other national and international organizations.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a form of therapy that helps people heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences.
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help. Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment or of being frozen in time. EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved, and the memory feels farther away or even neutral emotionally.
EMDR therapy has been extensively researched and is recognized as an effective treatment for PTSD by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense. Other organizations that recognize EMDR therapy as effective are the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and many other national and international organizations.