Relief from Difficult Memories and Thoughts

EMDR is a form of therapy that helps the brain and body re-process difficult memories and store them in a way that is deeply healing. This form of therapy differs from other therapy by using bilateral stimulation, often eye movements, to help you change how you feel , think, and behave around a distressing issue without the requirement of homework or talking in detail about the event. For many clients EMDR can be completed sooner than other therapies. 

What happens in the brain?

​ For many people who are overwhelmed or stressed by distressing events that have not been fully processed it can linger in the mind causing them to get upsetting images, thoughts, or emotions that can cause a feeling of being "stuck" in time. Stress response is normal for any person in a fight, flight, or freeze instinct. EMDR allows for the brain to flow through the memories and for healing to continue. The memories are not forgotten, but no longer create the same instinctual response they once did.

Who can it help?

It can be helpful for clients of all ages. The events can be "big" or "small", but if they continue to be something that is hard to move past it might be something to consider. These thoughts or memories can be events that are ongoing or in the past.
EMDR can support many current conditions and past experiences, including:
  • Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression, and other conditions rooted in past experiences
  • Mental recovery from physical trauma, such as a car accident, serious injury, or sexual assault
  • Healing after any form of violence, including bullying, yelling, abuse, physical violence, and war
  • Support for both personal and collective grief, including deaths, job loss, illness, and natural disasters
  • Closure for past interpersonal conflicts 
  • Lessening the impacts of  complex or prolonged trauma
  • Support for distress from past negative experiences that continues to feel overwhelming after the event

Research

EMDR therapy has been extensively researched and is an effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. It continues to be researched and ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes, proving it as a helpful modality for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences (Maxfield, 2019). In trauma treatment it has been proven to be more effective than Prozac (Van der Kolk et al., 2007).
References
Maxfield, L. (2019). A clinician’s guide to the efficacy of EMDR therapy. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research [Editorial], 13(4), 239-246.

Van der Kolk, B.A., Spinazzola, J., Blaustein, M.E., Hopper, J.W., Hopper, E.K., Korn, D. L., & Simpson, W.B. (2007). A randomized clinical trial of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), fluoxetine, and pill placebo in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: treatment effects and long-term maintenance. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 68(1), 37-46.

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