Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing With an average of more than three million cases of child abuse reported each year in the United States, social workers are faced with an impressive list of clients children and adults who are or have been victims. of cruelty and neglect. Without treatment, the chances that these people will lead a life fraught with future psychological problems increases exponentially. Because many children and some adults are unable to verbalize disturbing experiences, a treatment called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) can often provide resolution that more traditional therapies cannot. Overall, EMDR therapy is important because it helps process distressing memories, reducing their lingering effects, allowing patients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms and lead normal lives. EMDR was developed in the late 1970s by Francine Shapiro and was primarily used on Vietnam veterans. War. However, it is now commonly used beyond the military population and is considered very effective in combating anxiety and depression. EMDR is used for people who have experienced severe trauma that remains unresolved. The primary goal of EMDR therapy is to desensitize patients to their stressful memories, reducing their lingering effects and allowing clients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms. This is done during an eight-step procedure that involves asking patients to recall distressing images while receiving one of several types of dual sensory input, including lateral eye movements, recordings, or tones. hearing. Bilateral stimulation is a stimulus presented in left-to-right patterns. These can take the form of auditory tones, hand noises...... middle of paper ......these, accidents or sudden death of a loved one, physical attacks or sexual. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can actually heal from psychological trauma just as the body recovers from physical trauma. Overall, EMDR has proven to be a very effective therapy, but one that many do not fully understand. Although this lack of understanding is responsible for some of the controversy surrounding EMDR, most of the controversy centers on whether the eye movement portion of the treatment is essential in helping patients diagnosed with PTSD. So far, researchers cannot yet be sure whether the eye movement part of the treatment is essential in helping patients diagnosed with PTSD. Overall, EMDR therapy is important because it helps process distressing memories, reducing their lingering effects, allowing patients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms and lead ordinary lives...