EMDR Therapy Ohio & Virginia

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a treatment modality created and developed by Francine Shapiro to help treat and manage trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and much more. EMDR Therapy is based on the Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP) which was created by Shapiro to explain how unhealed traumatic memories are linked in the brain and ultimately lead to maladaptive responses. This model assumes that when we are given the time, space, and tools, we can innately integrate traumatic and stressful content into our adaptive memory networks, which fosters healing.

EMDR Therapy differs from the usual talk therapy approach in that it doesn’t require sharing all of the details about distressing material or events. Rather, EMDR Therapy allows an individual to access their right brain functions to resolve unprocessed trauma and stress by utilizing bilateral stimulation (BLS). Processing allows the brain to engage in neuroplasticity and “re-wire” by discarding negative associations to the trauma and strengthening positive beliefs and resource networks.