Trauma — a severely distressing and emotional experience — can have long-lasting effects for one’s mental and emotional well-being. Trauma presents differently in everyone. It may result from neglect, abuse, accidents, natural disasters, or experiencing forms of violence. Either way, the side effects of trauma are more than just psychological; in fact, the effects on the brain are equally significant.

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a mouthful that encapsulates its core processes. Essentially, EMDR is a trauma treatment modality designed to target and reprocess traumatic memories stored in the brain. When trauma memories are stored in a dysfunctional way it can cause us pain and mental health issues.