EMDR trauma therapy
The way back to life
Francine Shapiro
EMDR was discovered by chance in the year 1987 by the American psychologist Francine Shapiro. While walking in the park, she noticed that eye movements seemed to reduce her negative feelings associated with her own stressful memories. In further experiments, she found that eye movements also had a stress-desensitising effect on other people. Shapiro later added other treatment elements, including a cognitive component, and developed a standard procedure she called Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD).
About EMDR
EMDR is a gentle and effective treatment method that was initially used primarily for the treatment of traumatized persons, but is now very successfully used for a much wider range of indications. EMDR makes it possible, for example, to process and solve burnout or extremely stressful experiences and images – trauma – as well as deep emotional pain in a short time. With EMDR, stress and anxiety can be regulated.
EMDR is the abbreviation of “Eye Movement-Desensitization-Reprossessing”.
Effect of EMDR
The effectiveness of EMDR has been scientifically proven. In 2013, EMDR was therefore recognized by the WHO as one of two methods for treating PTBS (post-traumatic stress disorder) in adults, children and adolescents. Already after a successful EMDR session, the clients experience a relieving change in memory, the associated stresses (fear, helplessness, shortness of breath, heartbeat, etc.) are clearly dismissed and negative thoughts can (even from the emotional level) reworded in a new and more positive way. EMDR is a trauma therapy procedure. However, it is also used very successfully for reassurance. EMDR is also used in coaching, for example for better concentration or in case of stage fright.As a trained EMDR facilitator, I have found that even with persistent emotional distress, there is a noticeable reduction in stress after just a few EMDR sessions.
How does trauma arise?
We remember normal experiences by sorting them and making them together with previous content. A trauma, a mental injury, on the other hand, is not sorted normally, but with all the associated sensory impressions and thoughts are stored separately. Later, anything reminiscent of the trauma – a loud bang, a smell, a touch – can cause the person(s) to feel that they are living through the situation again. Anxiety, helplessness and physical reactions such as shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat are the result.
Aim of EMDR
EMDR aims to rework the memory of the trauma and then sort it into the memory like a normal memory. Affected persons should no longer feel defensively transported back into the situation, but should be able to perceive and withstand the memories normally after trauma therapy.