HELPFUL LINKS
To my Brothers and Sisters:
The following description is of an Empirically Based Treatment founded in the 1990’s with much of the initial research done within the Vietnam Veterans community. The full article can be found on the EMDR Institute website at https://www.emdr.com/
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.
Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. (Some within 3 sessions)
It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.
When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes.
Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.
Another therapy growing out of EMDR and rapidly gaining recognition for the short-term treatment of PTSD is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). Art is also and evidenced based treatment and like EMDR it uses eye movement to aid the individual in processing the traumatic event but is a more structured approach than EMDR.
If you are experiencing any sort of emotional turmoil, please explore the EMDR or the ART option, even the VA recognize they work.
For more detailed information go to:
https://artherapyinternational.org
Dr. CF Bethell
