Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Your path to healing starts here!
What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s a therapy that helps your brain heal from painful or stressful experiences — even ones you don’t talk about in detail. EMDR activates the brain’s natural healing process.
It helps shift memories from “still happening” to “something in the past.” EMDR is recommended as a first-line trauma treatment by the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Psychiatric Association (APA).
EMDR uses Bilateral Stimulation, you focus on a memory while following: side-to-side eye movements, gentle tapping, or soft alternating sounds.
Bilateral stimulation (BLS) is a key part of EMDR therapy. It simply means something is activating the left and right sides of your brain back and forth, in a steady rhythm. It’s similar to what your brain does during REM sleep, when the eyes move side to side and the brain processes emotional experiences.
How EMDR Alters the Brain.
Memory Re-consolidation: EMDR moves traumatic memories from implicit, sensory storage to explicit, narrative storage — making them feel like “something that happened,” not “something happening right now.” (Stickgold, 2002)
Reduced activation in fear and threat circuits: FMRI studies show decreased activity in the amygdala after EMDR, meaning the brain’s alarm center becomes less reactive. (Bergmann, 2010; Pagani et al., 2012)
Similarity to REM sleep processing: Bilateral eye movements resemble REM sleep, which is linked to emotional integration and memory processing. (Stickgold, 2002; Christman et al., 2003)
Additional research supporting EMDR.
How the EMDR Process works
According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, EMDR has the strongest recommendation for being an effective treatment in most clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).
