Its results made it officially recommended by the World Health Organization to be applied to both children and adults. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, popularly known as EMDR, is a treatment for trauma survivors who may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As it is used in the case of those people who suffer from mental health disorders such as anxiety or depression.
What is sought to be achieved with this therapy is that people can remember traumas that they have unconsciously forgotten or blocked in their memory. In this way it will be possible to address the emotional impact that they caused and that continues to affect the patient, contributing to the mental disorder he suffers.
EMDR therapy was developed in the 1980s by researcher Francine Shapiro, who relied on bilateral stimulation to help patients reorganize and process their memory. In order to work on the traumatic events that she suffered. The objective is to stimulate the brain, for example, through movements, so that it unlocks that memory that has been forgotten as a protection formula.
The application of EMDR therapy is recommended to treat psychological and emotional disorders, mainly those derived from traumatic experiences, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. However, they are also used in other cases. One of them has to do with anxiety or panic disorder, as well as social phobia and other types of variants that have their roots in anxiety.
Other of its uses have to do with the development of self-esteem, eliminating negative thoughts and sensations that limit that person and boosting self-confidence. As well as for the development of resilience, to improve the ability to react and manage in difficult situations, favoring adaptation to them.
In the therapy session led by a specialized psychologist, the patient will work with a series of stimuli that will help them remember and accept the traumatic event they experienced, as well as related details. Three main methods are used for EMDR therapy.
One of them, which gives its name to said therapy, is that of eye movements. The patient should follow the slide of the finger from one side to the other. Another formula has to do with sounds, which will help the brain activate those memories. The same happens with light blows, which are usually done on the knees. In these ways, the patient will be able to connect with parts of his memory that he believed to be forgotten.
