Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured psychotherapy approach designed to help people process and integrate distressing memories, especially those related to trauma.

EMDR is based on the theory that traumatic experiences can become “stuck” in the brain’s information-processing system. When this happens, the memory retains its original emotional intensity and physical sensations. This can cause flashbacks, hypervigilance, or distress long after the event.

EMDR helps the brain reprocess these memories so that they are integrated into normal memory networks. After processing, the memory remains, but it no longer feels overwhelming or triggering.

The processes involves bilateral stimulation (BLS) — such as eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones that alternate between the left and right sides of the body.

This bilateral stimulation helps:

• Engage both hemispheres of the brain.

• Reduce the vividness and emotional charge of traumatic memories.

• Facilitate the brain’s natural healing and integration processes, similar to what happens during REM sleep (when the eyes move rapidly and the brain consolidates memories).

EMDR doesn't erase memories — instead, the emotional charge attached to them decreases. A once-disturbing event becomes a neutral narrative. Many clients report that distressing memories feel more distant, less vivid, or lose their emotional “grip.”

*See how it is done: Phases of EMDR