EMDR Therapy
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a leading, innovative clinical treatment developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987. It has since become widely recognised for treating individuals who have experienced psychological difficulties arising from traumatic events, such as assault, road traffic accidents, war trauma, torture, natural or man-made disasters, sexual abuse, and childhood neglect. EMDR is also increasingly used to treat symptoms that are not necessarily trauma-related, including panic disorder, phobias, performance anxiety, self-esteem issues, and other anxiety-related disorders.
EMDR is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a recommended treatment for children, adolescents, and adults with PTSD. It is also recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for PTSD. Research has shown EMDR to be highly effective in treating trauma-related conditions, with many individuals reporting significant reductions in symptoms after just a few sessions. However, the number of sessions required can vary depending on the complexity of the trauma.
How Does EMDR Work?
During EMDR treatment, the client attends to emotionally disturbing material in brief, sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. This process appears to facilitate access to the traumatic memory network, allowing the information to be adaptively processed. New associations are formed between the disturbing memory and more adaptive memories or information, leading to more complete information processing, alleviation of emotional and physiological distress, and the development of cognitive insights.
EMDR uses a three-pronged approach, processing:
- Past events that underpin psychological distress
- Present situations that elicit distress
- Future distressing situations, helping individuals deal with them in a more adaptive manner
The video below explains how EMDR works and what to expect in therapy:
In this video, Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR discusses how she developed EMDR:
