E.M.D.R. is an empirically safe, sound, and effective trauma-informed therapeutic intervention. Originally used to help soldiers who developed Posttraumatic Stress Disoder back in the 1980's, the use of EMDR has expanded to treat a wide range of traumas, includiing both single incident and complex trauma. The essential features inherent in EMDR include the use of three aspects of experience: cognitive, somatic (mind/body), and neurological. The client is in complete control of the session, and my job is to ensure that the client is safely guided through the process without having to "re-experience" the traumatic experience. This is a collaborative process between the client and therapist, and one in which the client's well-being is the priority.
When a client comes in for EMDR therapy, the process begins with a review of the client's psychosocial and family history. This assessment is a key component in determining whether the client is apprpriate for EMDR, and identifying, with the client's input, the target areas that we will address. The client is provided several therapeutic tools to practice at home, that will act as resources for self-regulation. I will also encourage the client to read about EMDR before we start the actual processing, and recommend the following website:
www.emdria.org. It is important to note that this is the founding site for EMDR, and while there are many places one can go to on the internet, it is the established site for EMDR- trained and certified therapists. The training is extensive, and only those trained and/or certified in EMDR therapy are clinically appropriate to use it in their practice. This is essential for clients to know.
To better understand the basic science behind EMDR, please click on the link below: