Your story is more than just the trauma you have experienced.

EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is the process of using bilateral stimulation (such as eye movement from side to side similar to what is done in REM sleep) to work through memories so that they can be stored in long term memory. Traumatic memories can get stuck and be left unprocessed, causing negative beliefs and unhelpful coping strategies to take root. As these memories get processed they become a part or your past rather than remaining in your present, thus allowing more positive beliefs and coping skills to flourish.

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This method has been extensively research and backed by studies again and again. It is one of the leading therapeutic techniques for trauma processing. What I find most striking about this modality though, is that it leans into the idea that the body is designed to heal. When you get a cut, you don't need to do much for it to heal because the body is incredibly designed to do that work. The body already has a system of storing memories during REM sleep and EMDR seeks to tap into that in a meaningful way, giving the mind just a little assistance as it tries to heal. I am reminded again and again that we have a God who wired healing into his design and creation. We truly are wonderfully made and he is a God who cares.