Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Have you ever wished you could remove something from your memory? We can’t actually remove the memory, but we can lower the disturbance level of the memory so that it’s just a memory with no disturbance (like watching a video).
Nightly we process our day during our rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. However, some of our memories get stuck because we are too young to understand them, or they are upsetting; possibly even traumatizing. They carry a negative message about ourselves that haunts us at times.
EMDR uses the brain to reprocess the memory. Using eye movements, the image that represents the incident, and the negative belief you have about yourself because of the incident, we lower the disturbance level you are feeling from a high of ten (the most disturbing) to zero (no disturbance; just a memory). Researched populations that have been successfully treated with EMDR Therapy:
- Phobias
- Panic Disorder
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Depression
- Attachment Disorder
- Conduct Problems and Self-Esteem
- Grief and Mourning
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Pedophilia
- Psychotic Disorders
- Chronic pain
- Migraine Headaches
- Phantom Limb Pain
- Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms
There are also a lot of other populations that have been successfully treated with EMDR.
Disclaimer: Please don’t try to do this yourself, although the founder of EMDR, Francine Shapiro, wrote a self-help book, Getting Past Your Past, that can help you take control of your life.