Eye Movement Reprocessing & Desensitization (EMDR)
EMDR is a therapy that can help you more fully digest past experiences that contribute to present stuckness and distress. The technique combines bilateral (side-to-side) movements with awareness of thoughts/images/sensations that arise while focusing on a target memory.
While traditional EMDR uses bilateral eye movements (hence the name of the therapy), there are many ways to achieve bilateral stimulation. In my experience, many people prefer bilateral tapping and/or bilateral audio stimulation.
Target memories are determined based on the problem you’d like to address. Perhaps you notice yourself repeatedly engaging in a pattern that you can’t get out of. Maybe you’re experiencing a creative block or struggling with deep insecurities and shame.
Whatever the concern, we’ll identify the network of memories connected to the issue. Through the process of EMDR, you will begin to feel these issues shift, resolve, and come to a place of closure.
Though there is a lot of evidence that EMDR is an effective therapy, no one knows for sure what makes EMDR so effective. It’s my belief that EMDR is effective because it harnesses the wisdom of our bodies. We’re resilient beings and have what we need within to work through pain, if only we allow ourselves a safe and supportive space to fully be with our experience. It’s easy to avoid, intellectualize, or project our struggles. Instead, EMDR is a process of allowing the feelings, sensations, and thoughts to move through us.