Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of therapy that was discovered inadvertently, by Francine Shapiro, during a walk in the woods where she noted an interesting phenomenon. When observing sunlight flashing through the trees as she walked, the saccadic eye movement appeared to render previously troubling thoughts less emotionally resonant.

Initially, such an anecdote may seem like a flimsy basis for an entirely new version of psychotherapy. Nevertheless, Shapiro was a Psychologist with the resources to investigate and check if this observation could be replicated in laboratory conditions. The results of these subsequent studies validated the potency of what she had originally experienced.

Today, EMDR is now recognised by the World Health Organisation and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK as a potent treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among other ailments.

Although EMDR's potency has been established, how it actually works has not understood. It has been speculated that it may help move traumatic memories still held in working memory to be reallocated into long term memory, although this is not the only putative explanation.

Click the images below to learn more.The image on the left concerns EMDR's efficacy. The other is of Francine Shapiro.