EMDR
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. It took me a long time to remember what the four letter stand for. Now that I am training to practice EMDR, I am able to remember when someone asks. It is a form of therapy that works with traumatic memories. Memories that can remain in the body from childhood.
Memories That We Might Not Remember
It may seem wacky to say it, but our bodies can store memories that we may not remember. These type of memories can stay with us and connect to current experiences. It might cause current experiences to be more painful without understanding why. We tend to operate from our brain in our head and forget the body can also remember. The Body Keeps The Score, a book by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD is a good resource for reading more about this concept.
Exploring Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing
Activating traumatic memories may not seem like a safe idea. There are many discussions and studies about why this modality works for some clients and not others. Studies seem to prove that this form of therapy can “have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session, a person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind. You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting.” For research about EMDR, check out the EMDR International Association website.