WINTER PARK COUNSELING & THERAPY

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) & Trauma Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy approach designed for working with distressing or traumatic memories. The theory behind EMDR is that many psychological difficulties are the result of distressing life experiences which have not been stored in memory properly and are said to be unprocessed or blocked. These traumatic memories may need some help to become processed, and EMDR is one way to do this.

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What is Special About Trauma Memories?

Normal memories are stored by a part of the brain called the hippocampus. You can think of the hippocampus as a sort of librarian which catalogues (processes) events and stores them in the right place. However, some traumatic events (such as accidents, abuse, disasters, or violence) are so overwhelming that the hippocampus doesn't do its job properly.

When this happens memories are stored in their raw, unprocessed, form. These trauma memories are easily triggered, leading them to replay and cause distress over and again. Normally memories are filed away by the hippocampus. Some experiences are so overwhelming the memories are not stored property.

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What is EMDR Used to Treat?

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This is very good evidence that EMDR is an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for PTSD. The evidence for using EMDR to treat other disorders is less clear. EMDR may be an effective treatment for other conditions, particularly if they involve trauma memories or other distressing memories, but more research is needed.

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How Long Does Treatment Take?

EMDR sessions are sometimes slightly longer than typical therapy sessions. The number of sessions needed will depend on the type and severity of trauma which you experienced.