EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is an extensively researched, structured therapy initially used to treat PTSD and trauma. Through ongoing research, it has been shown to be an effective treatment for anxiety, depression, OCD, and many other mental health concerns as well.

EMDR is also used to treat pregnant and postpartum women, both during and after pregnancy. Treatment can address any of the following concerns, and more:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• OCD

• Traumatic Birth

• Miscarriage and/or stillbirth

• Loss of infant or child

It is essential for survival that our nervous system knows we are safe when we are safe. Following adverse life experiences, our nervous system may stay in fight/flight, getting in the way of our ability to live a healthy and happy life going forward.

Utilizing bilateral stimulation to access the limbic system, EMDR works to reprocess how experiences are stored in the body, brain, and nervous system. EMDR cannot and does not change the facts of the experience. It targets specific memories to help reprocess and store them in a more adaptive way, helping to “remove splinters”, leave the past in the past, and allow true healing to begin. 

For more information on EMDR, visit https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/

For information related to EMDR and its use in the perinatal population,
visit https://www.postpartum.net/emdr-in-the-perinatal-period/