What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy treatment developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro to help people heal from trauma. EMDR integrates elements of many traditional psychological orientations and is based on the adaptive information processing model (AIP). The AIP model hypothesizes that there is an inherent information processing system in the brain that gets blocked when traumatic events occur, causing these events to get locked in the brain with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings and body sensations. Whenever a reminder of the traumatic event comes up, those pictures, thoughts, feelings, and sensations can continue to be triggered. According to Dr. Shapiro, many emotional problems and disorders are manifestations of these unprocessed trauma memories that are stored in the brain. EMDR works on helping the brain reprocess these traumatic memories, and as a result alleviating the emotional and psychological disorders. The effectiveness of EMDR is supported by several controlled studies; in fact EMDR is the most researched psychotherapeutic treatment for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

EMDR has been used with children and adolescents with a wide variety of emotional and psychological problems including PTSD, anxiety, phobias, depression, attachment disorders etc. Research studies have showed that positive results can be achieved by using EMDR with children and adolescents.

For more information on EMDR, visit EMDR Institute, EMDR International Association or EMDR-Humanitarian Assistance Programs.