what is emdr therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a structured psychotherapy method that helps people recover from traumatic experiences. EMDR therapy involves moving the eyes or other forms of bilateral stimulation while focusing on a traumatic memory. The therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain, allowing the brain to resume its natural healing process. EMDR therapy has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of disorders, including anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and PTSD. EMDR therapy is an eight-phase treatment that does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or completing homework between sessions. The therapy is widely considered one of the best treatments for PTSD and has been endorsed as an effective therapy by many organizations. EMDR therapy has even been shown to be superior to Prozac in trauma treatment. Although the exact mechanism of how EMDR works is still theoretical, dozens of controlled trials and research studies have analyzed EMDR and shown that it is effective.