EMDR therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy was founded by Dr. Francine Shapiro and is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or completing homework between sessions. EMDR therapy, rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, allows the brain to resume its natural healing process.
EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, freeze or shutdown instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown response from the original event is resolved.
EMDR therapy has been demonstrated to be effective for treating trauma. From the American Psychiatric Association, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USVA) and Department of Defense (USDOD), the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE), and the World Health Organization (WHO), multiple global organizations now recognize the effectiveness of EMDR therapy that Dr. Shapiro developed.
For more information about EMDR therapy, please visit the EMDR International Association website:
If you are wondering if EMDR therapy would be a good fit for you, please feel free to send me a message through my contact page. I would be happy to set up a time to chat further.