 |
How EMDR Works |
|
EMDR is bilateral stimulation therapeutic approach discovered by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. It is applicable for a wide range of psychological problems that result from overwhelming life experiences.
It is a cost-effective, non-invasive, evidence-based method of psychotherapy that facilitates adaptive information processing.
This therapeutic approach includes eight-phase treatment which comprehensively identifies and addresses experiences that have overwhelmed the brain’s natural resilience or coping capacity, and have thereby generated traumatic symptoms and/or harmful coping strategies. Through EMDR therapy, patients are able to reprocess traumatic information until it is no longer psychologically disruptive. For example, during the processing of difficult memories, a person who has been abandoned by a spouse may come to realize that she is loveable and is no longer overwhelmed by negative feelings about herself or participate in unproductive behaviors stemming from those feelings. A person fearful of driving due to a terrible car accident in the past may end the session feeling safe to drive again. |