This technique, developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro, is helpful for clients with life patterns of emotional distress such as post-traumatic stress, performance anxiety, and other emotional difficulties. The approach utilizes a synchronized left-right hemisphere stimulation that helps clients with emotional distress de-synthesize anxiety, disturbing thoughts, and memories. Since its introduction in 1989, the approach has been taught to over 10,000 clinicians worldwide and has received an enormous amount of media attention. EMDR is a time-efficient, comprehensive methodology backed by positive controlled research for the treatment of the distressing experiences that underlie many pathologies.  Dr. Shapiro theorizes that its effects are connected to the same processes that occur in REM sleep. The eye movements seem to stimulate the client's innate information processing system to transform dysfunctional, self-denigrating thoughts into less, threatening, more palatable information. Clients become more conscious and aware of how their emotional processing and healing occurs. Many clients find a greater sense of self-empowerment through the process.

James Ochoa , LPC has been a certified EMDR therapist since 1994 and has used this technique successfully in his practice with many clients. During treatment, James includes an educational approach about how the physiological process of emotional distress is processed in our neurology, belief systems and emotions. Understanding the natural way our physiology is set creates a new understanding and validation for emotional distress.