EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and is a brain and body-based type of therapy that focuses on reprocessing memories and experiences that have been stored maladaptively.

When we have caregivers that can’t attend to us in the way that we needed as children- through neglect, abuse, or even smothering- we can grow to have distressing symptoms in adulthood. Certain trauma wounds, whether they are a one-time experience such as a car accident or a scary plane flight, or ongoing traumatic experiences can also leave us with distressing symptoms.

EMDR uses certain mechanisms in the brain to reprocess these experiences, memories, and even the absence of certain experiences that we needed as children. A technique called bilateral stimulation is used which gives sensory input to both sides of the brain and body and can be done using eye movements or tapping.

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Your “inner child” is the part of your subconscious that holds the messages you were given at the early stages in your life. When you take time to acknowledge and “re-parent” your inner child- you are healing yourself by creating new neural pathways in your brain to replace old messages you received.

ART or Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a brain-based therapy very similar to EMDR. With ART, an individual can desensitize and change a distressing memory through the use of imagery and repetition.

CBT is a type of therapy that is very effective for individuals who experience anxiety or worry. The basis of CBT is that our thoughts create our feelings which then create our behaviors.

Internal Family Systems theory (or IFS for short) is a type of therapy that, like inner child work, focuses on parts of ourselves that have been created throughout our childhood (and adult life) that hold emotions, belief systems, and certain behaviors we perform for safety or protection. The idea that we all hold different parts of ourselves that get activated is based in neuroscience- different neural networks hold different feeling states, behaviors, memories, thoughts, and experiences. When we become aware of these states we are able to change them.

Polyvagel theory is incorporated into EMDR and other therapies to focus and explain feelings of safety/threat and the nervous system. Your nervous system is a huge component to overall health and when you’re not doing well, your nervous system reflects your internal state.