Treatment of dysfunctionally stored experiences with the method Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – EMDR

Abstract

In this paper a new therapeutic method called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is described. The method was formed mainly for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, but there are also some reports about success with other mental disorders. The theoretical base of EMDR and especially the accelerated information processing model, the concept of memory networks and the explanations of effects of eye movements are presented. The process of EMDR is also described.

Keywords

• EMDR
• accelerated information processing model
• memory networks
• eye movements
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• psychotherapies