I’ve been hinting about EMDR for about the past month, to the point that it’s starting to annoy some people. So, I figure it’s probably a good time for me to just lay it all out and share with you why I’m on this EMDR kick…

EMDR is a form of reprocessing therapy for trauma survivors. It stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a direct approach to treatment that has been around since the mid-80’s but is now getting enough backing research that the American Psychological Association has placed it in the “A” Category as “strongly recommended” for the treatment of trauma and PTSD. In fact, it has become the most researched treatment for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

If you want to read more about EMDR, you can go to the EMDR Institute’s website, or check out the Wikipedia page.

I first heard about this form of treatment in 1999 back with I was a lowly practicum student doing some observations at a stress reduction clinic. The lead psychologist there specialized in biofeedback and neurofeedback treatment. She gave me some information to read about it, but at the time there was still a lot of skepticism surrounding EMDR. So, I tucked the information away in my brain and just went on with completing my master’s degree.

Then about two months ago, the idea of working with abuse survivors started coming up more and more in my daily interactions with people. And at the same time, mention of EMDR and the need for more clinicians in our area that are certified in EMDR also came up. And after doing a little research, I discovered that I could begin training in August. This weekend actually.

I’ve also been approached about opening up a clinic in conjunction with the agency that I’ve been doing contract work for in order to treat adults in a community mental health setting. I would develop the program and provide the treatment, they would help with the facility and the paperwork. Not a bad deal! Though the details will definitely have to be worked out. I pitched the idea of opening a Trauma Recovery Clinic, and the idea was well received.

So, now I get to travel to the scenic, historic, paradise that is Vinita, Oklahoma for Part I of my training this weekend. Then after that I will begin putting together the formal proposal for the clinic and try to get this bird off the ground. This is a totally new area for me as I’ve never run my own clinic before, but I look forward to the experience and the learning that’s going along with it.

I have two more chapters to study before the training… and it’s not like reading a Harry Potter novel…