Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a psychological treatment developed to help individuals process and heal from traumatic experiences and distressing memories. It uses bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements) to activate both hemispheres of the brain, enabling the processing of unresolved emotional issues.

Key components of EMDR therapy include:

Trauma Processing: Helps patients process past trauma or negative experiences.

Bilateral Stimulation: Involves rhythmic movements, taps, or sounds to stimulate both sides of the brain.

Reprocessing: The goal is to change the negative emotions associated with distressing memories.

Adaptive Information Processing (AIP): A model suggesting that unprocessed memories cause psychological distress, and reprocessing them helps resolve this.

8-Phase Approach: The therapy involves eight stages, including history-taking, preparation, desensitization, and integration of new beliefs.

PTSD: Primarily used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, but can also help with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, addictions and phobias.

EMDR aims to reduce emotional charge from traumatic memories, allowing individuals to view them from a less distressing perspective.

At MMHC we believe that EMDR is a wonderful addition to our toolbox of therapy skills as it allows clients to go deeper than. just cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) alone.