To understand EMDR, It might first be important to explain what trauma is. When the average person thinks of the word "trauma", they may think of a combat veteran struggling with PTSD or someone recovering from another violent experience. While these are part of what the word trauma refers to, it is really so much more. The word trauma just means "wound", and we can think of it psychologically that way too. Anything that has wounded, stuck with you, or in anyway limited your ability to live out your full potential or be your full self is some form of trauma.

 

Most of us have experienced many many traumas throughout our lives. Some are little and might seem common or insignificant. But sometimes even those things have a bigger impact on our brain than we understand. Traumatic experiences leave us with overly negative feelings towards ourselves that seem like truths. They also make us overly reactive to the world, expecting some type of danger around every corner. Most people that have experienced trauma have a deep feeling of powerlessness that they try very hard to cover up, and a overwhelming feeling of being alone no matter how many people are around. 

​

EMDR helps to target the way our brain perceives and automatically responds to the world. The cool thing about EMDR is that it actually helps your brain understand old information from a new perspective, decreasing the control old experiences have over you. EMDR is designed to help your brain react less chaotically to stressors and triggers. It helps you to understand the difference between present reality and emotional or psychological flashbacks. Which allows you room to decide how you want to respond to life. 

​