EMDR Therapy Explained
In 1987, a psychotherapist, Francine Shapiro, was diagnosed with cancer and was having a hard time coping with her diagnosis. One day she decided to take a walk in the park. During her walk, she started to notice that, as she moved her eyes back and forth to look at the scenery, she started to feel better. Francine thought she might be “on to something” so decided to start doing research studies and found that other people had a similar reaction to eye movements – that when eye movements were combined with distressing thoughts or memories, people began to feel better. Over the years Francine and other psychotherapists and researchers have gone on to grow and refine Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, also known as EMDR therapy, into what it is today.
EMDR therapy is an eight-phase treatment. Eye movements or other bilateral stimulation (BLS), such as tones or pulses are used during part of the session. After taking a history from the client, the therapist and client decide together which distressing memory to target first. The therapist then asks the client to think about and picture that memory while using some form of BLS. The type of BLS used is determined by what the client is most comfortable with. The client might use his/her eyes to track the therapist’s fingers, s/he might use headphones to listen to tones bouncing between each ear or the client might hold a device known as a “pulser” in each hand and feel a small vibration move from hand to hand.
Between each set of BLS, the therapist asks the client to report briefly on what the client is thinking or feeling, then does another set of BLS with the client. During the course of the BLS, the client might begin to process the memory, allowing it to get “unstuck” from the client’s brain, or the client might discover other associated memories that need to get “unstuck”. The client and therapist continue this sequence until the client reports no additional changes in his/her thoughts/feelings regarding the memory. The client is fully conscious and fully in control during the entire EMDR session and can stop the session at any time. ("What is EMDR?")
The cost of EMDR therapy is $150.00 for the initial session and $125.00 per hour for each session thereafter. We do not accept insurance for EMDR therapy.
Source:
“What Is EMDR?” EMDR Institute – EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING THERAPY, EMDR Institute, www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/.