Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy approach designed for working with distressing or traumatic memories. The theory behind EMDR is that many psychological difficulties are the result of distressing life experiences which have not been stored in memory properly and are said to be unprocessed or blocked. These traumatic memories may need some help to become processed, and EMDR is one way to do this.

Normal memories are stored by a part of the brain called the hippocampus. You can think of the hippocampus as a sort of librarian which catalogues (processes) events and stores them in the right place. However, some traumatic events (such as accidents, abuse, disasters, or violence) are so overwhelming that the hippocampus doesn’t do its job properly. When this happens memories are stored in their raw, unprocessed, form. These trauma memories are easily triggered, leading them to replay and cause distress over and again.

EMDR utilizes the Adaptive Information Processing model (AIP) to harness the brains natural ability to heal. When traumatic or distressing events occur the processing of these events get “stuck.” EMDR helps these memories get “unstuck” and “deactivated” so that you can recall the memories without distress or nervous system activation.

The evidence suggests that EMDR is an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for PTSD. The evidence for using EMDR to treat other disorders is less clear. EMDR may be an effective treatment for other conditions, particularly if they involve trauma memories or other distressing memories, but more research is needed.

A common question is “Is EMDR the same thing as hypnosis?” The answer is that EMDR different in many ways. The most notable way that EMDR differs is that you never lose consciousness, you are completely aware of your surroundings, you are in complete control, and you can start and stop EMDR at any point of any session.  You are in control of what you share.

The number of sessions needed will depend on the type and severity of trauma which you experienced. Research estimates that 8-12 sessions may be necessary to treat simpler traumas, with more sessions necessary for multiple traumas.