EMDR is an integrative psychotherapy designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories (Shapiro, 1989). EMDR facilitates the accessing and processing of traumatic memories and other adverse life experiences to bring them to an adaptive resolution. After successful treatment with EMDR, emotional distress is relieved, negative beliefs are reformulated, and physiological arousal is reduced. During EMDR therapy, the client attends to emotionally disturbing material in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus, typically therapist-directed lateral eye movements or tapping. Shapiro (1995, 2001) hypothesizes that EMDR facilitates the accessing of the traumatic memory network, so that information processing is enhanced, with new associations forged between the traumatic memory and more adaptive memories or information. The new associations are thought to result in complete information processing, new learning, elimination of emotional distress and development of cognitive insights. EMDR uses a three-pronged approach (1) the past events that have laid the groundwork for dysfunction are processed, forging new associative links with adaptive information; (2) the current circumstances that elicit distress are targeted, and internal and external triggers are desensitized; (3) imaginal templates of future events are incorporated to assist in acquiring the skills needed for adaptive functioning.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)