What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR is an evidence-based, clinician led, psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In addition, successful outcomes are well-documented in the literature for EMDR treatment of other psychiatric disorders, mental health problems, and somatic symptoms. If you want to read a full description, the EMDR International Association has this comprehensive written definition.
If you are more of a visual learner, this video also sums it up:

What is different about EMDR therapy?

EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue. In fact, sometimes the therapist does not need to know the exact memory that you are working on. EMDR therapy, allows the brain to resume its natural healing process.

EMDR therapy works with not only the thoughts related to traumatic experiences, but with the big emotions and body sensations that come up when you think about those memories.

How does EMDR therapy affect the brain?

Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, sometimes they get “stuck”.

Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.