What is EMDR?
EMDR Stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR was discovered by Francine Shapiro in 1987. EMDR uses eye movements, tapping, or sounds to allow the brain to reprocess life events that are stuck in the brain.
When a person experiences an event that is highly emotional some times the brain can attach the event with the emotions that were experienced in the moment. The brain is not designed to store information this way and this causes the brain to "mis-file" the memory in the brain.
This misfiling of the memory may cause an individual to experience nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, social isolation, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and negative thoughts about oneself. At times these symptoms may be associated with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and social and family problems.
EMDR allows you the ability to separate the emotion
that was attached with the event! It is you and your brain that actually heals itself during the process.
Who supports the use of EMDR?
The better question is who doesn't support EMDR...
EMDR has been endorsed and supported by many different agencies and organizations around the world. Some of these organizations include:
*The Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense
*WHO (World Health Organization)
* SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association)
* United Kingdom Department of Health
*American Psychological Association (APA)
EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing, is a modality of therapy that was originally designed to help veterans overcome the traumas they experienced while at war. In the last two decades, EMDR has also been found to help depression, anxiety, phobias, abuse, rape and life events that are distressing.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation through sight, sound, or touch (or a combination of the three) which allows YOU and your brain to heal.