EMDR for trauma and PTSD

Many people describe something that happened long ago and still feels present. A memory that comes back unbidden, being easily startled, nightmares, places or conversations they avoid. Sometimes it is a single serious event, such as an accident or a situation of violence. Sometimes it is situations that don't look serious on their own, but leave a mark when they last for years.

EMDR was developed to work with memories like these, and the World Health Organization lists it among the recommended psychotherapies for post-traumatic stress in adults. You and the therapist choose one specific memory, and work on it in short sets of bilateral stimulation.

The first sessions don't touch the memory. They are for your history and for practising ways to calm down that you can come back to. You don't need to tell everything that happened to start.