Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy or EMDR is a unique form of therapy that was developed to specifically help people heal from traumatic events. Sparknotes version: EMDR Therapy can help you re-process past events that continue to negatively impact you today, resulting in you feeling more in-control over your past, and not the other way around.

Sometimes when a negative event happens (whether life-threatening, body-violating, or shame-inducing, for example), our brains are not able to fully process and move forward from the event. The memory can become “stuck” in the body and mind. Then when new things happen in our environment that in some way remind us of the negative event (like a person, place, feeling, smell, music, etc.), our nervous system gets confused and starts acting as if we are back in that original event again, which can lead to things like panic, anxiety, fear, self-doubt, or other distressing feelings, thoughts, and physical reactions.

EMDR uses bilateral eye movements or tapping to help those memories get unstuck. We can use EMDR to send the message to your brain and nervous system that you are no longer in danger (or experiencing that initial event/memory). Not only this, EMDR also focuses on helping to change any negative beliefs you’ve consciously or unconsciously developed about yourself or the world as a result of the event(s).

Curious to learn more? Here is a good place to start.