Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR integrates elements of many effective psychotherapies that are designed to maximize treatment effects. These include psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies.

During EMDR, the client attends to past and present experiences in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. Then the client is instructed to let new material become the focus of the next set of dual attention. This sequence of dual attention and personal association is repeated many times in the session.

Clinical trials have demonstrated EMDR's efficacy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It has been shown to be more effective than some alternative treatments and equivalent to cognitive behavioral and exposure therapies. Although some clinicians may use EMDR for various problems, its research support is primarily for disorders stemming from distressing life experiences.

EMDR is based on a theoretical information processing model which suggests that symptoms arise when events are inadequately processed, and can be eradicated when the memory is fully processed. It is an integrative therapy, synthesizing elements of many traditional psychological orientations, such as psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural, experiential, physiological, and interpersonal therapies.