WHAT IS EMDR?
Dr. Francine Shapiro created eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) in 1987. She went for a walk and discovered that eye movements could reduce the intensity of her upsetting thoughts. Dr. Shapiro studied this effect scientifically, and reported her success with EMDR and trauma survivors in the Journal of Traumatic Stress (1989).
HOW DOES EMDR WORK?
Traumatic memories are processed, and stored very differently in the brain then the memory you will have of reading this web page. One moment becomes "frozen in time," and remembering a serious car accident may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells and feelings haven't changed.
EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way the brain processes information. You will still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting. EMDR may be similar to what occurs naturally during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see distressing events in a new and less upsetting way.
more EMDR...