EMDR: What is it and how does it work?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization
and Reprocessing) is an advanced psychotherapy
model that combines psychology with physiology in a way
that allows a person to identify and “clear” past
traumatic events. These events can be as seemingly insignificant
as a negative comment from a parent during childhood,
or as catastrophic as a life-threatening
event. Often undetected, we are blind to the fact that they are having an effect on our daily lives.
How does EMDR work? Each
of us has 2 different memory networks: adaptive and non-adaptive.
Adaptive
memories are needed to react to current circumstances; for example, you see a
car speeding toward you and your body automatically reacts to the fear of being
hit. When the accident is over, these memories should get stored away into your
non-adaptive memory. A problem occurs when a memory gets stuck, or frozen,
in our adaptive memory, causing us to have responses that are no longer fitting
to the situation. The simple act of driving shouldn’t produce the
same fear and anxiety as that experienced during an actual accident. Instead
of reacting to only the current event
(driving), our bodies react to the current event plus all
the similar or related events from the past (a previous accident).
EMDR takes those experiences stuck
in our adaptive memory, and moves them into our non-adaptive
memory, where they belong.
EMDR has been successfully applied to many areas,
including:
• Performance anxiety
• Performance Enhancement
• Stress
• Phobias and panic/anxiety
disorders
• Procrastination
• Issues with food and weight
• Chemical dependency
• Relationship issues
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD)
• Depression and many other issues
It is not necessary to learn to live
with these reactions. EMDR
takes the process of traditional talk therapy a step further;
it not only identifies the problem and its cause, it actually
fixes the problem, permanently.
Allow yourself to expect more from your therapy. |