Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a therapeutic technique based loosely on purposeful eye motion. The target is to have its usage assist with injury and nervousness based issues. In an ordinary EMDR session, a therapist leads a patient through biking left to right, to left, the motion of their eyes while helping the individual work through the memories of a traumatic encounter. EMDR was championed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980 s. Her personal discovery of her eye motions helping to calm upsetting memories spurred the formulation of EMDR. EMDR therapy has become widely held as a recognized, analyzed therapeutic modality.
The fundamental EMDR technique is the replicating movement along a horizontal plane, and since EMDR has gathered traction, the methods to simulate the motion have expanded to add audio and rhythmic pulsing.
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The 3 essential approaches are:
Visual - The therapist has the patient move the eyes left and right, typically with the patient tracking their focus on the therapist's hands or a held prop, like a pen.
Auditory - Sounds or specialized music is played which moves from left to right. This is most successful with headphones wherein the send travels between the right and left ears.
Pulsing/Tapping - A small electronic instrument sends an alternating signal to two handheld tactile pulsers. They pulse in alternating sequences, one after another. There are other adaptations of simulating right and left sensation.
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All methods follow this bilateral approach. For instance, an individual can be in trauma from the latest car accident. The therapist could have the customer follow their hands with the eyes from left to right while requesting the patient to visualize a nice image and process the vehicle collision. In this manner, the stressful encounter gets worked through. EMDR is widely used and gets helped individuals in many situations, like veterans returning from the war, rape and abuse victims, and individuals experiencing trauma from life-changing events like being in a collision or a fire.
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In addition, EMDR is most effective in addiction treatment. Frequently people with addictions are suffering from some kind of trauma that has spurred on the addictive cycle. To see if EMDR Therapy may assist you, make an appointment with a therapist which specializes in EMDR. It's a very common enough practice that it shouldn't be difficult to find someone with an encounter or training in this method. Trauma might be overcome. The initial step is finding a pro with the qualifications to assist with your particular difficulties. I'm a licensed LMFT, Marriage & Family Therapist in Austin. I am specialized in relationships and trauma treatment. I work with marital and divorce issues. For more information contact us or call us at (737) 708-6018.
Resource Article: What is EMDR Counseling & Can It Really Help in Trauma Memories
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