What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.
More than 30 positive controlled outcome studies have been done on EMDR therapy. Some of the studies show that 84%-90% of single-trauma victims no longer have post-traumatic stress disorder after only three 90-minute sessions.
During EMDR therapy the client attends to emotionally disturbing material in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. Therapist directed lateral eye movements are the most commonly used external stimulus but a variety of other stimuli including hand-tapping and audio stimulation are often used.
For a more complete description, visit EMDR.com.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.
More than 30 positive controlled outcome studies have been done on EMDR therapy. Some of the studies show that 84%-90% of single-trauma victims no longer have post-traumatic stress disorder after only three 90-minute sessions.
During EMDR therapy the client attends to emotionally disturbing material in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. Therapist directed lateral eye movements are the most commonly used external stimulus but a variety of other stimuli including hand-tapping and audio stimulation are often used.
For a more complete description, visit EMDR.com.
Testimonies
From a client, Jen, used with permission...
I suffer from depression on and off. I have all my life. But a misfortunate event took me into the deepest and darkest place I had ever been and I struggled for five years. I tried all the things I thought would help me heal: counseling, granting forgiveness, reading books. Those things helped me a little, but I just could not move forward. I felt stuck.
Many things would trigger very painful memories of the past event. The pain was still very real, and the fear that it could happen again would paralyze me. I took one step forward and three steps back. Five years later in the same miserable state of mind… I was exhausted! I thought I was going crazy and did not have the desire to live any more.
I decided to try one more thing: I went to see Sharon Tedder. "EMDR Therapy could help you," she said. I was skeptical at first, but I had nothing to lose… I can’t believe what has happened in my life. CLARITY, WOW!!! I had not been in this state of mind for a long time now. It’s not that I forgot my past, but the past no longer has a hold of me. I’M FREE!!! I thank God for putting Sharon in my path!
From Sharon Tedder...
I experienced EMDR therapy several years ago, before I become a Mental Health Counselor. I had suffered many traumas in my life, and while I had done a lot of healing work through the years, I still had triggers that I believed were going to remain part of my life.
I was astonished at the effectiveness of EMDR therapy, not just in helping my symptoms calm down, but in actually processing the way in which my brain perceived the events and the lies I had begun to believe at the moments the traumas occurred.
It was this experience which influenced me in my choice to become a counselor. I wanted training to help others by utilizing this wonderful therapeutic method.