EMDR Therapy
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) focuses on present concerns while recognizing how past experiences continue to influence current emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations. The EMDR approach understands that unresolved, emotionally charged experiences can shape how you see yourself and respond to the world.
For example: Do you ever feel worthless even though you know you are a worthwhile person?
EMDR helps you process these experiences so they no longer hold the same emotional intensity or interfere with your daily life.
How EMDR Works
EMDR helps you move through emotional blocks that may be preventing you from living an adaptive, emotionally healthy life.
The process uses guided sets of eye movements (or other forms of bilateral stimulation such as tapping) to help the brain reprocess difficult experiences. This process is similar to what naturally occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when the brain processes and integrates experiences.
During EMDR sessions, you will alternate between focusing on aspects of a memory and briefly noticing your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Over time, this allows the memory to become less distressing and more integrated into a healthier, present-day perspective.
What is different about EMDR?
EMDR is based on the brain’s natural ability to heal and adapt by updating past experiences with present information.
It works with the brain’s adaptive learning system, which is designed to continuously process and integrate experiences.
When past experiences are highly emotional, they can become “stuck” and interfere with this natural processing.
EMDR helps remove these blocks so the brain can process experiences in a healthier, more adaptive way.
Through structured procedures, EMDR helps organize negative and positive thoughts, emotions, and beliefs while using bilateral stimulation (eye movements or tapping) to support effective processing.