EMDR is a therapeutic technique designed for resolving issues and clearing blocks related to disturbing memories, trauma, abuse, anxiety, phobias, grief and loss, chronic pain and addictions.

When a disturbing event occurs, it can get “locked” in the nervous system.   One thought is that the right brain, the less analytical hemisphere, holds on to the trauma and then reacts to vague reminders (the light striking in a certain way, a sound like a car back-firing, a touch on the body) as though the original trauma were happening, thus leading to some of the disturbing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.  By using right/left stimulation, EMDR seems to unlock the nervous system and allow the other hemisphere of the brain to process the disturbing experience, releasing the negative feelings or “charge” associated with it.  New positive statements replace the old negative beliefs that were released.   Studies have examined the use of this therapy in survivors of sexual trauma as well as in veterans and other trauma survivors, and it is deemed one of the two most effective therapies for PTSD, helping both with trauma-related symptoms as well as with anxiety and depression.  2007 Review Article.

People are often leery of looking at hurtful memories for fear of being overwhelmed and re-traumatized. This is not the intention of EMDR. EMDR helps to create a sense of distance between yourself and the painful memory, allowing you more control over your experience of it.  We have seen some dramatic responses to this therapy in our chronic pain patients as well as others with longlasting sequelae of past trauma, and find it often to be helpful in a relatively short time.  One study found a 70% reduction in symptoms after just three sessions.