EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured psychotherapy technique used to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences.
It involves recalling a distressing memory while a therapist guides you through bilateral stimulation — side-to-side eye movements, tapping or sounds — to help the brain process the memory and reduce its emotional charge. The goal is to reprocess the memory so it is no longer as vivid or upsetting, allowing you to form new, more positive beliefs about the event.
How it works
- Processing trauma. Trauma can overwhelm the brain's natural processing, leaving distressing memories "stuck" and easily triggered. EMDR helps the brain process these memories and resolve the associated negative emotions, beliefs and sensations.
- Bilateral stimulation. The core of EMDR is a back-and-forth stimulus while you focus on the memory — typically following the therapist's finger with your eyes, but it can also involve tapping on hands or legs, or auditory tones.
- Brain integration. This is thought to help the brain's hemispheres work together to reprocess the memory, making it less overwhelming so normal healing can resume. The experience is still remembered, but with significantly reduced emotional intensity.
EMDR was originally developed for PTSD and is now also used for anxiety disorders, depression, phobias, panic disorders, eating disorders and other conditions related to distressing past events.