Eye Movement Desensitization

According to the Sidran Institute, “an estimated 70 percent of adults in the United States have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their [lifetime] (“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Fact Sheet”). There are many different events that can be traumatic, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder, automobile accidents, loss of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse and natural disasters. Also, there are a variety of therapies that help people cope with the aftermath of such events. One therapy in particular is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Founded by Francine Shapiro in 1987 to help people process traumatic events. During an interview with Dr. Francine Shapiro carried by a psych central editor, Margarita Tartakovsky,

Trauma can range from, automobile accidents to physical harm. Although EMDR does not remove the problem which may have caused the sense of discomfort and insecurity. It does provide ways to change how the patient perceives the incident now, in the present. In Dr. Shapiro’s book, Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques, she provides, “numerous procedures that will allow the reader to identify the earlier memories that are at the root of their problems, and ways to change their emotions, physical sensations and negative thoughts” (Shapiro). The goal of EMDR is to, “achieve a complete state of emotional health”

EMDR has been an effective method of treating PTSD that, “77% of combat veterans were free of PTSD in 12 sessions” (Frequently asked questions). EMDR therapy is also used in treating children who suffered from childhood abuse. According to social work today, “in the last two decades, however, researchers have made major strides in developing methods for treating victims and survivors of child abuse…among the most successful of these treatments is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing” (Huso). It is a therapy that is effective and faster than regular talk therapy, “EMDR…uses eye movements, sounds, or pulsations to stimulate the brain” (Huso). Like veterans that are unable to verbally speak of their traumatic experiences, children are unable to speak of the physical and/or sexual abuse they endured. That is why EMDR is one of the top choices in treating PTSD and childhood abuse because of the effective methods it uses to help patients cope with the traumatic