  | Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment method that can help to greatly reduce and even eliminate the ongoing disturbance that major traumatic experiences can create. It can also free one from the lasting influences of the kind of everyday painful difficulties and humiliations that can color our beliefs about ourselves and the world. | ||
EMDR was developed about 15 years ago by Francine Shapiro, PhD, and has been well researched. It has been used extensively and successfully with combat veterans, abuse survivors, and others who have suffered a traumatic or distressing event or events such as car accidents or loss of a relationship or loved one. Studies have shown that EMDR can reduce symptoms associated with trauma with only a few sessions. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a set of symptoms a person can sometimes develop after a traumatic event. A traumatic event is defined as something that is experienced as either life threatening or with the threat of serious injury to which a person responds with intense fear, helplessness or horror. Symptoms of trauma include recurring thoughts and dreams of the event, stress and anxiety when reminded of the event, avoidance of circumstances similar to the traumatic experience, and limitations in daily life. For example, if one were in a terrible car accident, one might experience distress when approaching the location the accident occurred, or be afraid to drive. Other symptoms include difficulty falling asleep, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and a strong “startle response” or reacting strongly to a loud or unexpected noise. Even when a distressing event does not fit criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or cause the above symptoms, it can cause anxiety, guilt, low self esteem and limitations in daily life. People often avoid thinking about or talking about a distressing event because it raises anxiety or brings back bad memories. However, they continue to experience the negative effects of the event. Since EMDR works rapidly, people experience a minimum of distress while processing the trauma. According to Shapiro, trauma gets locked into memory and if not processed, can lead to some of the above symptoms. EMDR can help the brain to access and process these events which then will reduce the symptoms. I have used this method with a number of people who had been suffering from distressing symptoms for many years. In many cases people felt noticeable relief after just a few sessions of EMDR. EMDR has been highly researched and found to be an effective and efficient treatment method. If you are interested in learning more I encourage you to visit the EMDR websites for more information. If you think EMDR might be helpful to you, I encourage you to talk it over with me to see if it would be appropriate for you. | |||
