What is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing?
{{Multiple issues| {{wikify|date=September 2023}} {{cleanup|date=September 2023}} {{complex|date=September 2023}} }} '''Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing''' ('''EMDR; also called Adaptive Information Processing / AIP''') is a form of [[psychotherapy]] developed in the late 1980s by Dr Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. It involves thinking about [[Psychological trauma|traumatic events]] while engaging one or more of the [[Sensory system|senses]] (taste, touch, sight, sound, and/or smell). This might involve moving the eyes back and forth, hearing certain sounds, tasting certain things, being touched, or using pleasant scents. According to Shapiro, this method can help people address unprocessed [[Psychological trauma|emotional trauma]] that is hurting them physically or emotionally. The process is intended to 'un-embed' traumatic memories from the brain and help a person move on from the emotional or physical pain they are feeling. == Use == EMDR has been used to treat survivors of [[rape]], [[Domestic violence|family violence]], physical or verbal abuse, first-responder shock, chronic pain, [[combat]], hurtful memories, select health issues, and unresolved, hurtful life experiences. It has been tested and researched in a large number of organizations since it was first published in 1987. Today, there are EMDR trainers and trainings internationally. Over 10,000 [[psychologist]]s and therapists in the United States are qualified to practice EMDR. == Treatment process == EMDR therapy combines different elements to maximize treatment effects.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Greenhouse Treatment Center {{!}} Drug & Alcohol Rehab Center in Grand Prairie, Texas|url=https://americanaddictioncenters.org/treatment-centers/greenhouse|access-date=2020-11-16|website=American Addiction Centers|language=en}}</ref> Shapiro describes the theory behind EMDR, research, and the treatment process in detail in her 2001 book ''Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols and procedures.''<ref>{{Cite book|title