How EMDR was Discovered
Dr Francine Shapiro discovered EMDR in 1987 purely by accident. She was walking in a park and noticed that she had some upsetting thoughts and feelings that suddenly disappeared. She was puzzled by this and decided to find out why. As a graduate student studying psychology she decided to research what was happening for her more closely. She began experimenting and observed that when she moved her eyes rapidly back and forth while thinking of something disturbing, the disturbance began to go away. She eventually developed a protocol that could be duplicated and studied, which is now known as EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
She began to work with people suffering from PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr. Shapiro’s research was very powerful and successful. The people with PTSD after receiving several EMDR sessions found that their symptoms decreased. People started to feel better. Since it’s discovery, EMDR has become one of the most recommended and researched psychotherapeutic treatments of trauma. EMDR has helped millions of people around the world heal from PTSD. You can find more about this important discovery and research in EMDR Essentials: A Guide for Clients and Therapists by Barb Maiberger, MA, LPC.
She began to work with people suffering from PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr. Shapiro’s research was very powerful and successful. The people with PTSD after receiving several EMDR sessions found that their symptoms decreased. People started to feel better. Since it’s discovery, EMDR has become one of the most recommended and researched psychotherapeutic treatments of trauma. EMDR has helped millions of people around the world heal from PTSD. You can find more about this important discovery and research in EMDR Essentials: A Guide for Clients and Therapists by Barb Maiberger, MA, LPC.
Additional EDMR Resources
- EMDR Therapy
- EMDR Trainings
- EMDR Consultation
- EMDR Book: EMDR Essentials: A Guide for Clients
and Therapists written by Barb Maiberger