EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
FAQs for those considering EMDR:
ANSWER: The short answer is any symptom rooted in memory and experience can be effectively treated with EMDR!
Anger, anxiety, depression, relational issues, bullying, OCD, excessive worry, eating disorders, etc. Anything could be rooted in someone’s memory or experience. It would not treat diseases such as cancer, but it can treat the impact and the emotional response around the experience. While it won’t directly change the biological experience in your body, but it can lessen and process distress around these experiences which does in fact create change.
ANSWER: No, it does not erase the memory. However, the memory will no longer have so much power over you. It reduces reactivity to it, creating distance from it. So when you happen to think about the memory, it feels like something that happened that’s over.
ANSWER: No, it does not erase the memory. However, the memory will no longer have so much power over you. It reduces reactivity to it, creating distance from it. So when you happen to think about the memory, it feels like something that happened that’s over.
ANSWER: It is useful and effective for clients across the life span, including children through adulthood.
ANSWER: Be really gentle with yourself. It does receive stress and distressing symptoms, but it can also stir things up at first. It can bring memory to the surface that may have been previously held subconsciously. You also may find you need some rest after your sessions. Your brain and nervous system are working hard as you process. Your clinician will give you tools to handle this. It is so important to communicate with your clinician and to be gentle with yourself!