EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR as it is commonly known was introduced to me in 2003, where I read how a colleague enthusiastically described how EMDR had dramatically changed the way she did psychotherapy.
She related that her clients were improving more rapidly than before, that the changes were lasting over time, and that EMDR seemed to transform psychological memory to objective memory.
I decided to jump in, I took the Part 1 training in San Francisco, soon to be followed by Part 2 in San Diego, California
I had firsthand experience of EMDR;s power during the training practicums. Working on a relatively mild childhood memory, I found myself transported to an earlier time when my 8 year old child-self felt like she was about to die of embarrassment. I experienced a full-blown strong emotional response with intense heat flashing through my face, rapid shallow breathing, and a racing heart.
My child self was frozen in time with the thoughts, beliefs and feelings of embarrassment I had had as that young child. I learned the importance of riding the waves of the abreaction, letting the feelings gain in intensity and then subside, without stopping the processing.
Subsequently I experienced changes in my own internal structure and core beliefs were altered which reduced my anxiety level in similar situations - a change I never before would have thought possible.
This powerful tool is available in my ever growing toolkit as a therapist.
