EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing

EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a technique that is used to lessen the amount of therapeutic time needed to process and resolve traumatic memories. Clients are first asked to visualize the traumatic event as vividly as possible. While retaining this image in mind, clients are then asked to rate their anxiety on a Subjective Units of Distress (SUDs) scale, which ranges from 1 to 10, with 0 being no anxiety and 10 being extreme terror. Clients then visually track the therapist's finger (or other object) as it sweeps rhythmically from right to left. Following each set of issues, clients are asked to "blank out" the visual image and inhale deeply, and then give a revised SUDs rating. The process is continued until the client's SUDs ratings fall to 2 or lower. EMDR is useful for releasing limiting beliefs and traumatic memories.