If you are considering having EMDR treatment, learning more about the treatment so that you understand it may help. You can ask your therapist or learn about EMDR online so that you can be knowledgeable about treatment before deciding if this is for you.  The EMDR treatment utilizes bilateral stimulation (either you hear a sound back and forth through a headset or you can watch a light go back and forth) and helps to change where memories are stored in your brain (from short term memory into long term memory) so that the memories don’t constantly get in your way of daily functioning.   Negative thoughts and emotions are then combined with positive thoughts and emotions to change your overall feelings about the traumatic/stressful memory that is causing you issues.

EMDR therapy helps to merge a dual awareness state so you can maintain awareness of the present moment while simultaneously remembering and reprocessing memories of past traumatic events.  Bilateral stimulation is applied during this stage (with bilateral eye movements that switch between the left and right sides of your body) to help reduce intensity of memories that are getting in your way.