What Is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and is a method of trauma therapy developed in California between 1987 and 1991 by clinical psychologist Dr Francine Shapiro.

EMDR has been successfully used as a method of trauma therapy since the mid-1990s. EMDR works with bilateral stimulation, i.e. with both brain hemispheres, primarily through eye movements, and increasingly with other sensory stimulation.

This method is well suited for use in combination with established therapy models (for example, speech therapy, behavioural therapy, NLP, in-depth psychotherapy. EMDR is also increasingly being used in training, counselling and coaching.

After only a few sessions, EMDR produces noticeable changes with regards to cognition, emotions and body experience. There are also numerous studies and first-hand accounts of the positive effects of EMDR regarding the processing of stress-related individual experiences. Cognitive processing of complex or multiple traumas lasts longer, of course, but with EMDR this processing time is considerably shorter than with other established methods of psychotherapy.

Scientific studies have repeatedly confirmed the high level of efficacy and lasting results of this method of therapy. Since 2006 the effectiveness of EMDR in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has received worldwide recognition. Originally developed and tested for the processing of traumatic experiences in war veterans, its various applications have since become much more diverse.