Evidence-based Trauma Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a well-researched and effective psychotherapeutic approach that has been shown to assist individuals in recovering from trauma and alleviating symptoms of PTSD. EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages patients to briefly focus on their traumatic memories while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation, typically through guided eye movements. This process is linked to a decrease in the vividness and emotional intensity associated with those traumatic memories.

EMDR therapy does not necessitate discussing the distressing issue in detail or completing homework assignments between sessions. Instead of concentrating on altering the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors stemming from the distressing issue, EMDR therapy facilitates the brain's natural healing process.

Our brains possess an inherent mechanism for recovering from traumatic memories and events. This process entails communication between the amygdala, which serves as the alarm system for stressful situations; the hippocampus, which aids in learning and helps distinguish between safety and danger; and the prefrontal cortex, responsible for analyzing and regulating behavior and emotions. Although traumatic experiences can often be managed and resolved on their own, they may require assistance to be fully processed.

Stress responses are a natural part of our inherent fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a traumatic event lingers, the distressing images, thoughts, and emotions can lead to an overwhelming sensation of being re-experienced in that moment or feeling "frozen in time." EMDR therapy facilitates the brain's processing of these memories, allowing normal healing to resume. While the experience remains in memory, the fight, flight, or freeze response associated with the original event is effectively resolved.