Eye Movement

Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent more than three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust.

More than 20,000 people have been educated to utilize the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) technique since it was established in 1989 by psychologist Francine Shapiro. When Shapiro was out on a stroll in the woods one day, she observed that her bad feelings began to subside when she moved her eyes rapidly from side to side. This led her to theorize that EMDR could have some beneficial benefits. In a similar vein, she discovered that patients had the same good impact. People who have gone through traumatic situations and who participate in EMDR treatment may find that it ...

Clients who have experienced traumatic events and seek EMDR therapists rely on them as guides through their most vulnerable moments. Trauma leaves an imprint on the body, and if clinicians don't know how to stay embodied in the midst of these powerful relational moments, they risk shutting down with their clients or becoming overwhelmed by the process. This book offers an integrative model of treatment that teaches therapists how to increase the client's capacity to sense and feel the body.