The mental health community still has a long way to go in understanding the power of EMDR therapy. That’s why EMDR Educators is working to help it expand through training therapists to use EMDR in their work with their clients. We want more clients to experience the great relief this healing mental health treatment can bring.

Still, new remarkable successes and case stories arise every day. This treatment is transforming lives for the better, helping clients overcome past traumas and enjoy a better present.

Those who are skeptics are mostly concerned with the eye movement of EMDR. Though this is an essential part of the sweet recipe that grants EMDR its potency, there are those who wonder if the “wandering eye” is necessary for the positive outcomes being witnessed.

Now here’s an extreme oversimplification for the sake of analogy in the hopes of opening minds: the practice of yoga, which is a physical movement is shown to have positive effects on the mind. Should it seem odd that a bodily movement, specifically the eye movements of EMDR, prove an essential factor of a mental health therapy?

We cannot rest our thoughts about EMDR on this oversimplification alone, of course. After all, unlike yoga, the eye movements are specific to one part of the body. It make help to acknowledge that the eye movements signature to EMDR are based on sleep’s REM and the purpose of REM.

Rant over. We could go into detail on the topic of the eye movements that give EMDR it’s “E” and “M”, which we do in later posts. But now let’s take a look at the outcomes.

EMDR continues to evolve. As it does, there are new revelations about how this powerful therapy can be applied. Here are a few of the most (in our view) intriguing applications that have emerged:

1. Increasing Athletic Ability  – EMDR and Performance Enhancement

Did you think EMDR was just for treating trauma and PTSD? Some athletes are taking their performances to new heights (literally) through EMDR therapy. It’s applicable to them because it helps with decreasing fear, anxiety, and stress. It allows them to focus more and that brings out their best. Its benefits in improving performance make EMDR a great aid for performers of all types, whether in a field or on a stage – what a way to gain a competitive edge!

2. Preventing and Treating Postpartum Depression – EMDR Helped Postpartum Me

There are a lot of antidepressants on the market today and most come with a laundry list of undesirable side effects. EMDR is the non-drug way to heal depression and it is growing in particular popularity in the postpartum realm. The treatment is saving many women from even the most persistent postpartum depression, even to the point of helping restore their relationships with the children whose birth the depression caused.

3. Quitting Smoking – Is EMDR the Cure?

The pressure on smokers to quit has been growing rapidly in recent years, to the celebration of some. Now even Disney has banned smoking from its parks (along with large strollers). But what’s a smoker to do when they find that e-cigarettes don’t transition them, nicotine patches don’t work for them, and there’s no other approach that seems to help fast enough? They could sit in the small smoke-filled corners to which they pushed (even that space is quickly shrinking) or they can find a solution. For many, the solution is – drum roll please and thank you – EMDR!

EMDR doesn’t just treat symptoms, it transforms lives. If you’re a mental health professional who has yet to complete EMDR training, the time to do it is right now.

Comments welcome 🙂