EMDR therapy focuses on the patient’s past events, and current issues that have arisen due to the trauma, as well as the development of healthy skills for dealing with future actions and wellness. Generally, an individualized plan is formulated over several sessions.
Researchers are not wholly sure how EMDR therapy affects the brain, but evidence suggests that it changes how your brain processes information. When you experience a disturbing or very painful event, your body and mind can essentially get “stuck in time.”
The sounds, sights, and feelings you experience during the traumatic event can trigger intense fear, nightmares, and flashbacks. When you encounter certain emotions and senses associated with that event again, your body responds similarly to the way it did the first time the trauma occurred.
EMDR therapy helps your brain engage with its natural healing process. Through this therapy, your brain learns to reprocess and compartmentalize the information more appropriately so that you are no longer “stuck” in the event.