EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy treatment developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro to help people heal from trauma. EMDR integrates elements of many traditional psychological orientations and is based on the concept of an Adaptive Information Processing model (AIP).
The AIP model hypothesizes that there is an inherent information processing system in the brain that gets blocked when traumatic events occur, causing these events to get locked in the brain with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings and body sensations. Whenever a reminder of the traumatic event comes up, those pictures, thoughts, feelings, and sensations can be triggered.
It is believed that many emotional problems and disorders are manifestations of these unprocessed traumatic memories that are stored in the brain. By combining internal and external stimuli, EMDR helps the brain reprocess these traumatic memories, thereby alleviating emotional and psychological symptoms of trauma and subsequent suffering.
One of the reasons we offer this service at our clinic is that clients are often able to experience a great deal of relief in a very short amount of time. Most begin to experience relief after only one session. Studies have shown that between 77% and 90% of clients who qualify for a diagnosis of PTSD, no longer exhibited sufficient symptoms for the diagnosis after three to six sessions.
EMDR has been recognized as an effective treatment by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, and the Department of Defense. When clients are freed from the suffering and limitations trauma can cause, they are able to move forward in their life and find greater health and happiness.
For more detailed information on what EMDR is and how it works, please visit www.emdr.com.