Posted by Toby on December 18, 1998, at 9:23:12
In reply to Re: What is EMDR? -- and all those other anagrams., posted by Victor on December 17, 1998, at 9:54:20
See www.emdr.com for a complete explanation. Briefly, it is a super fast way of processing emotional traumas so that they no longer have an overwhelming impact on the mind and body. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It uses eye movements (like in REM sleep) or some other bilateral stimulation like tapping on the palms of the hands or stereo clicks in the ears to stimulate both sides of the brain. While the stimulation is occurring, attention is focused on the physical discomfort caused by the memory and on the negative thoughts about oneself that the event triggers. All of this is too much for the brain to handle at once and it must extinguish something in order to continue. The easiest thing to extinguish is the physical discomfort. Once that is gone, the brain is more able to see that the negative thoughts regarding the event are not compatible with reality and usually new positive thoughts are generated, leading to the ability to put the event in the past and helping the person cope with the present and future in a more functional manner. There are about 25,000 therapists trained in this technique worldwide and more research on this technique for PTSD than for any other technique.
poster:Toby
thread:1615
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19981201/msgs/1628.html