What is EMDR?

You may have heard about EMDR lately - but WHAT is it??? EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. According to EMDRIA, EMDR is a type of psychotherapy that has helped over an estimated two million people of all ages relieve many types of psychological distress. It has been designated as an effective treatment by the American Psychiatric Association, the World health Organization, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and Department of Defense, the U.S. department of Health and human Services and more.

During EMDR, the therapist works with the client to identify a specific problem as the focus of a treatment session. Nobody really knows how any form of psychotherapy works neurobiologically -- but we do know that when a person is upset, their brain cannot process the information as it would under non-distressing conditions. This moment can become "stuck" and can have a lasting effect on an individual and affect the way they see the world and other people, and themselves to others.

EMDR therapy has a direct effect on the way the brain processes information. After EMDR, a person no longer feels "trapped" . Your memories won't be changed, but it will feel much less upsetting. While other cognitive based therapy models ultimately have the same goals, EMDR is physical -- having similar effects as REM sleep would, and thus is showing to be more effective and much faster than traditional psychotherapy models.

EMDR can be used to treat PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, phobias, performance anxiety, sexual abuse, physical abuse, pain and so much more. There is more research coming out everyday on the use of EMDR. There has been a huge number of scientific research studies showing the positive outcome of EMDR in treating post traumatic stress disorder -- and this is where I use it the most in my practice, especially with those suffering from abusive pasts or veterans coming home from combat. I have also personally seen patients improve significantly from binge eating disorder, Bulimia, depression and anxiety as well as pain with the use of EMDR in their therapy sessions.

While EMDR isn't for every single patient, I absolutely love using it daily in my practice. I am a huge advocate for the mind-body connection, and EMDR gives actual scientific evidence that it is healing the brain and biochemical pathways. It is

truly fascinating and very rewarding to see my clients feel better after years of traditional talk therapy.