EMDR is a trauma processing therapy that uses bilateral stimulation to access traumatic memories, desensitize the severity of symptoms, re-process negative thought patterns associated with the memory and hopefully, through various protocols, find a healthier meaning to the event that took place. Meaning such as: "What happened to me was terrifying, but I survived, and I am stronger for it."

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What is bilateral stimulation? We use eye movements, from side to side, or audio and tactile stimulation through vibrating hand paddles and audio beeps that stimulate each side of your body. Why are we using these methods? Currently, there is no concrete answer as to why this method of stimulation works so well, but we do have quite a bit of research that hypothesizes that the bilateral stimulation mimics the REM sleep cycle, especially when we use the eye movements, and this brings forward the memory or internal associations for further processing. 

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For more information, please visit the EMDR Institute.