What is EMDR and How Does it Work?
EMDR stands for “Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing.”  It is a therapeutic tool which is used to help individuals reprocess disturbing or traumatic material.  EMDR stimulates the brain to become desensitized when the individual thinks about the disturbance; this in turn helps the person to resolve problems, thus enhancing the quality of their life.

EMDR has been subjected to numerous scientific studies.  It is still not entirely clear how EMDR works because neuroscientists are still not entirely sure how the brain itself works.  However, the research so far suggests that when a person experiences a traumatic event, or is very upset, the brain cannot process information as it normally would in a non-traumatic situation.  Scientists have proposed that a chemical reaction occurs in the brain during a stressful event.  Some traumatic events and recurring situations that provoke intense emotion become “frozen in time” and “stuck” in the information processing system, and this is related to the chemical reaction that occurs in the brain.  Present day internal and external reminders of these experiences often trigger a re-experiencing (“flashback”) of sights, sounds, smells, thoughts, body sensations, or emotions that can feel as intense as when first experienced, and the same stress chemicals are released, just as they were in the original event.  Such unresolved memories may have a profound negative impact on the way a person sees the world and relates to people.  Under the influence of such unresolved experiences, behavior tends to become inflexible and constricted to avoid painful re-experiencing.

What is Bilateral Stimulation?
 EMDR appears to produce a direct effect on the way the brain processes or re-processes upsetting material.  Research suggests that attending to Bilateral Stimulation (a way of stimulating the brain one side at a time instead of allowing both sides to work together as they do normally) during EMDR  triggers an innate neurophysiological mechanism known as the “investigatory response” which in turn leads to “adaptive information processing.”  Studies done with patients undergoing EMDR while in CAT scans (Computerized Axial Tomography) have shown physiological changes in the brain.  With “adaptive information processing,” it is primarily the person’s own innate capacities and these chemical reactions, rather than the interpretations or thoughts of the therapist, that lead to adaptive changes in thinking and emotional self-regulation.

I haven’t had any trauma.  Are there any other uses for EMDR?
Yes!  EMDR is now used for a variety of psychological issues, from overcoming performance anxiety  and actually enhancing performance, to relieving phobias, such as fear of flying, fear of heights and is also used for pain control, eating disorders, and helping to overcome addictions to drugs, alcohol and smoking. 

What Will Happen in an EMDR Session?
 Your therapist will take a history and gather sufficient information to ensure optimum results.  You and your therapist may spend a few sessions gathering history prior to engaging in the actual EMDR work.  EMDR is a client-centered approach, and this means that the client and therapist work together to determine the appropriate targets (there is often more than one target for EMDR).  The therapist will help you to develop coping skills to deal with upsetting material that may arise during the process and will help you deal with any feelings of fear and vulnerability that may arise related to the “target” issue.  You will be guided to form a positive thought and feeling to replace the negative ones associated with the target.  When you feel ready, the processing will begin.  The therapist may have you follow her fingers back and forth with your eyes while focusing on the target, or may use headphones and “tappers” (held in your hands).  The headphones will send a series of clicks or other sounds– some therapists may use music—back and forth from one ear  to the other; the “tappers” will vibrate back and forth from one hand to the other (this is “bilateral stimulation” -the opposite sides of the brain are being stimulated alternately to “reprocess” the disturbing material).  This is what appears to get the old stuff “unstuck.”  When your brain has “reprocessed” and “desensitized” the target (when it is no longer disturbing), you will be directed to focus on a positive thought to replace the negative one, and this positive thought will be “installed” or strengthened into your information processing, so that when you remember the disturbing material, it will no longer trigger a negative response!

How Long Does it Take?
 The amount of time for EMDR varies from person to person.  Some individuals get complete relief in as few as 3 sessions; some require up to 20 or even more depending on the severity of the target and the receptivity of the individual.  Most clients find relief sooner rather than later. 

Can Anyone Learn to do EMDR?
No.  The EMDR Institute trains only mental health professionals with at least a Master’s level degree.  This includes Marriage and Family Therapists, Psychologists, Licensed Clinical Social Workers and Psychiatrists (Medical doctors).  The therapist must have completed at least one level of the EMDR training to be able to perform it with clients.  EMDR has been taught to, and is being used by, professionals all over the world.

Some important information you should know:
 EMDR is always woven into good overall psychotherapy.  EMDR is often used to enhance or strengthen current stability prior to proceeding with  processing any disturbing material.  When processing disturbing material, EMDR is used to process all the information—thoughts, feelings, sensations and coping strategies—associated with the negative experience to support movement toward an adaptive resolution.  This results in a reduction in the client’s distress, increasing the client’s confidence in his or her preferred belief system and the possibility of having more optimal relationships, personally, socially and professionally. 

With successful EMDR treatment, the upsetting experiences are worked through to adaptive resolution.  The person receiving EMDR comes to understand that the event is in the past, realizes appropriately who or what was responsible for the event, and feels more certain about present-day safety and the capacity to make good choices  What happened is and can still be remembered by the person, but without  distress. The person finds that new, more flexible behaviors feel possible and inviting.  There is a new found sense of trust and safety that was missing before.

EMDR can be used to treat:

• Trauma
• Dissociative Disorders
• Chronic Pain/Illness
• Depression
• Grief and Loss
• Anxiety
• Phobias
• Relationships

For more information on EMDR, please visit www.emdria.org