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What is EMDR?
What is EMDR?
Watch this brief video for a primer on EMDR therapy.
What is Bilateral Stimulation?
What is Bilateral Stimulation?
Bilateral stimulation, also called dual-attention stimulation, is the core mechanism by which EMDR works. It involves taxing your brain's working memory-- the part it uses to problem solve or retain short-term pieces of information-- to distract your nervous system just enough so that painful memories don't feel so painful. This allows us to explore, process, and ultimately say goodbye to haunting negative beliefs.
EMDR was originally developed using eye movements to create this dual-attention stimulation. That's where it gets its name "Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing."
EMDR's developer, Dr. Francine Shapiro, later expressed regret at including eye-movement in the name of the therapy because that is NOT the only effective way to tax working memory.
EMDR is frequently done with eye-movements, tapping, bright lights, or sounds.
What is EMDR treatment like?
What is EMDR treatment like?
EMDR treatment is highly structured, and it's a quite different from traditional talk therapy.
Think of EMDR more like a medical procedure. If you're having a hip replaced, you may spend a small amount of time discussing your feelings with the surgical team, but the main focus is on getting the old hip out and the new hip in.
In this case, the "hip" is old patterns, situations that always set you off, painful memories, nightmares, etc... And EMDR is the surgery.
Selecting Targets for EMDR Treatment
Selecting Targets for EMDR Treatment
The first step in the process requires selecting targets for treatment. We'll do this
If you've been to therapy before, you may have already identified those "stuck" points with your therapist. Those memories, beliefs, emotions that just won't go away no matter how you try to reframe them.
If you're not quite sure what your targets are yet, we'll spend a little time identifying them before we begin processing.
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