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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) Therapy
It’s known that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal, and EMDR is a psychotherapy that enables us to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that disturbing life experiences have caused. This type of therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma just how the body recovers from physical trauma.
EMDR is beneficial for:
- PTSD or a traumatic event
- Phobias
- OCD
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Grief
- Recurring intrusive thoughts or memories
- Adverse life experiences
EMDR is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as a Gold Standard treatment for PTSD. In 2018 the Australian Psychological Society (APS) included EMDR therapy as a Level I evidence-based psychological intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults.
To top that off, a Harvard researcher investigated why EMDR is effective and he found that symptoms rooted in trauma were connected with the biological mechanisms involved in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. When EMDR therapy is conducted, the clinician helps the client enter a similar state that emulates REM sleep. This allows internal associations to arise and we can begin to process the memory and disturbing feelings. In successful EMDR therapy, the meaning of painful events is transformed on an emotional level.