Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing , also known by its abreviation EMDR, claims to relieve the symptoms of Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems using originally only movements of the eyes similar to those which occur naturally in REM sleep.
It was invented by American Francine Shapiro in 1987. She observed the way she had been able to banish disturbing thoughts from her own mind. She developed and refined these observations and published a paper in 1989 describing beneficial results in a number of case studies.
The therapy originally consisted of the patient being guided by the therapist in moving their eyes in a random way whilst thinking about their ‘problem’. In the relatively short time of a few minutes the feelings may begin to shift and resolve themselves.
The speed of the therapy and lack of necessary skilled input from the practitioner has led to strong criticism of the approach from some in the psychotherapeutic and psychiatric establishment. The practice also lacks a convincing explanation as to how it works.
Nevertheless extensive studies have repeatedly shown it to be as good as any existing therapy at bringing about improvements in the subjects.
Later developments have removed the focus on the eyes and used a number of other bilateral stimuli such as sound and touch to bring about the effect. Its use has also been extended to include a wide range of conditions.
In recognition of the benefits of the technique Dr. Shapiro has been given an award for Distinguished Scientific Achievement in Psychology by the California Psychological Association and in 2002 the International Sigmund Freud Award for Psychotherapy presented by the City of Vienna in conjunction with the World Council for Psychotherapy.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is tool used in certain form of psychotherapy that intends to relieve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), and other mental health problems using (in its original form) only eye movements similar to those which occur naturally in REM sleep.
EMDR was developed by American psychologist Francine Shapiro, PhD in 1987 after she observed, during a walk in a park, that moving her eyes seemed to reduce the stress of disturbing memories.
EMDR has been used on children to treat a variety of conditions (Tinker and Wilson, 1999, and Greenwall, 1999).
EMDR resolves these performance inhibitions in the same rapid, effective manner as with trauma and achieves astonishing results in performance and creative enhancement with athletes, actors, performers, artists, and writers.
EMDR is also a valuable tool in addressing the family traumas of divorce, illness or death of a loved one, financial crisis, alcohol and drug abuse by parent or child and family violence.
EMDR is driven by bilateral brain stimulation which results from a client tracking the therapist's fingers from side to side (or by sound moving from ear to ear or by tapping the hands left and right) which stimulates powerful brain activity.
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