One of the great benefits of increased, open discussions about mental health today is that more of us are being exposed to various kinds of healing that we might not have heard of otherwise. Although EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) has been around for several decades it is still just gathering traction in the wider public. If you are wondering what EMDR is and if it might be helpful for you, let me try to explain.

EMDR is a unique type of therapy in the sense that it’s not all about talking and there is actually large periods of no talking. It is a therapy that was developed originally to treat PTSD but has grown to be effective in treating various forms of anxiety and decreasing the intensity of distressing memories. During EMDR you follow a moving object with your eyes as you are experiencing a distressing image or memory, this is what we call “processing”. It is only one part of EMDR as it consists of several other stages before you begin processing and several stages after you experience processing. The goal is that with the guidance of a clinician, you can lessen the intensity of your anxiety or memory and the hold it has on you.

Is this for me? Well, it depends. EMDR is not a magic modality and won’t suddenly make everything feel better. It’s not a quick fix and takes time to move through each stage. It also isn’t something that is for everyone as it can be very destabilizing for some. EMDR can be a helpful form of therapy to incorporate if you are at a place of being able to self soothe and engage in coping skills when feeling overwhelmed. It can be particularly helpful if you have experienced a single traumatic event, have specific anxieties and/or have an already established relationship with a long term therapist in which you feel safe to explore more complex trauma. Whether EMDR is for you or not really depends on a lot of factors and can best be determined by talking with your therapist and deciding together.