What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy was developed in the late1980s by Francine Shaprio PhD.  She discovered a connection between eye movement and persistent upsetting memories. This personal insight began what became the development of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

EMDR was originally develped to treat PTSD to reduce the stress associated with traumatic memories and other expereinces to bring adaptive resolution. EMDR therapy is an eight-phase trauma treatment that helps reduce the stressful experiences. It allows you to process the memory in a way for a more peaceful resoluton. The eight phases of EMDR therapy act as a map for the EMDR therapist to follow. It helps people recover from distressing life experiences. For more information click here https://www.emdria.org/public-resources/the-eight-phases-of-emdr-therapy/

Shapiro (1995, 2001) hypothesizes that EMDR therapy facilitates the accessing of the traumatic memory network, so that information processing is enhanced, with new associations forged between the traumatic memory and more adaptive memories or information. These new associations are thought to result in complete information processing, new learning, elimination of emotional distress, and development of cognitive insights. EMDR therapy uses a three pronged protocol: (1) the past events ; (2) the current circumstances that elicit distress internal and external triggers are desensitized; (3) imaginal templates of future events are incorporated, to assist the client in acquiring the skills needed for adaptive functioning.

I am a Certified EMDR Therapist. I have helped others with anxiety, panic attacks, distressful memories, grief, and more uzilizing EMDR therapy.

Melissa Friesenhahn MA, LPC

Certified EMDR Therapist & IFS-EMDR Therapist