This is an eye movement desensitization and reprocessing method.

This is a therapeutic method developed by Francine Shapiro in the 1970s for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Eye movements activate the areas of the brain responsible for information processing. As a result, the traumatic event that is stuck in the memory and caused pain gradually begins to fade. Desensitization is the reduction of negative stress associated with certain situations and objects. Often, a traumatic situation continues to evoke fear and anxiety in us, even after it has long passed and we are no longer in danger. Desensitization methods help us stop reacting to music.

Rukhs greatly activate the internal information processing mechanisms in the nervous system. This is easily observed, for example, during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep. It is during this phase that we experience dreams, in which we process thoughts, emotions, and events. Do you want to remember the “morning wisdom”?

“Digesting” experiences is the brain’s natural function. But in some cases, it can’t handle it. If a person experiences psychological trauma, they may become mired in memories. They experience constant anxiety, guilt, and pain, have nightmares, are tormented by obsessive thoughts, and when confronted with a “trigger” (an object that reminds them of the traumatic situation), they react as if they were reliving it.

In EMDR sessions, a psychologist helps initiate the processing process. They suggest focusing on specific memories or feelings that trigger stress. In adaptive processing, the tension in the situation begins to subside, and flashbacks begin. Negative images and images dissolve and become disturbing.

The World Health Organization, the American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for the Study of Traumatic Stress, and other organizations have included EMDR in their list of effective therapy methods. EMDR was originally developed as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. However, this method is also effectively used to treat other conditions: anxiety, depression, phobias, panic attacks, addictions, childhood trauma, traumatic events, and more.

This remarkable method can help resolve some problems permanently, even in just one session.

I invite you to therapy!

Rymma Vatutina (Shtubler), psychotherapist, crisis psychologist, hypnotherapist