EMDR

Initially tested on Vietnam veterans and rape victims, this is a fast and relatively painless way of taking trauma out of even the most horrific memories.

It helps to have a clearly identified past incident, but a fragment of memory, or pattern of reacting inappropriately to the same, seemingly benign, stimulus can be used as a starting point.

While no homework is assigned, research shows continued positive change in the client for a week or two after a session. Once the trauma has been taken out of the old memories, it becomes easier to take in new information and develop new patterns of behavior.

Additional information can be found at www.emdr.com and www.emdria.org.