EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. Unlike other therapies, it does not require discussing a distressing issue in detail or completing homework between sessions. Rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, the focus is on allowing the brain to resume its natural healing process. For many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions than other psychotherapies.

While our brains process and resolve many stressful events normally, trauma can sometimes cause this process to become stalled. The distress remains trapped by our survival instincts — our fight, flight, or freeze response — often resulting in overwhelming distress or a feeling of being frozen in time rather than healing. EMDR therapy helps jumpstart the brain's natural processing, allowing these memories to be effectively digested so that you can remember the experience without triggering the original distress or survival response.

Source: EMDRIA (EMDR International Association) — emdria.org