Emdria.org says this, "EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation... which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. Ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences (Maxfield, 2019). EMDR therapy has even been superior to Prozac in trauma treatment (Van der Kolk et al., 2007). Shapiro and Forrest (2016) share that more than 7 million people have been treated successfully by 110,000 therapists in 130 countries since 2016."
What is Attachment Focused EMDR? Attachment Focused EMDR is a specific kind of EMDR trauma treatment, founded by Laurel Parnell, PhD, that accounts for and repairs not only the traumatic experiences that are creating symptoms in a person's life, but also the attachment disruptions that often accompany traumatic experiences, especially those that happen in childhood. It is an attuned, client-centered approach to trauma healing that works to resource each client so that they can feel more alive and grounded in their lives.
What is bilateral stimulation or BLS? BLS can happen in a variety of ways, by moving the eyes back and forth with a prompt, like the therapist's fingers or a with a light device. Some therapists have "tappers" which are small hand held sensors which can be turned on to vibrate. There are also ways to offer alternating audio sounds in one ear and then the other. Clients can also choose to tap on their thighs or shoulders themselves if that is more comfortable, or if it is a telehealth session. Or the therapist can tap on a client's knees.
I generally use tappers in the office and have clients tap on themselves when doing telehealth.