Discovered in 1987 by Francine Shapiro in the USA, it is now a recognized technique used in trauma centres everywhere, with a plethora of research documentation to back up its effectiveness.



This is what happens in an EMDR session

The client describes the traumatic memory and is helped to focus on the very worst aspect and the associated feelings and then describes the negative belief they may have internalized as a result.

For example, if a man had been involved in a road traffic accident and felt that he hadn't been careful enough, the thought might be "I'm so stupid.' Then the therapist helps the client formulate the belief he'd really like to have, which could be 'I do the best I can to keep myself safe.' The thoughts and feelings are rated on scales of 1-10.

Holding the memory, the negative thought and the feelings in mind, the client then watches the therapist's hand as she waves it in front of his face for a series of movements, then pauses.

After the client talks about his thoughts, feelings and anything he notices about his body, the hand movements begin again. This scenario is repeated until both therapist and client feel they have reached the end with nothing new arising. Now the original memory is returned to, and the thoughts and feelings are rated again. By doing so an objective measure of change can be witnessed.

In what way does this work?

The brain, it appears, is not able to process the memories of trauma as it usually does. The memories get stuck in a place where they can be triggered easily - the limbic system. Stimulation of the brain bilaterally seems to help shift these memories to the cerebral cortex where ordinary memories are stored, thus losing their emotional charge.

Clients that have gone through this process say that while the memory of the traumatic event is still there, the really terrifying or unhappy feelings that go with it have disappeared completely, and they feel better in themselves.

Eye movements are the usual way of doing EMDR, but other bilateral stimulation methods can be used, such as tapping alternate hands or knees, or listening to sounds through headphones. It is also very effective with the kinds of core beliefs and patterns that no amount of talking therapy can shift.

For simple traumas like the road traffic accident example, the feelings can be processed in about 6 sessions. Traumas that are more complicated are treated better with an ongoing client/therapist relationship.