EMDR Therapy for Supporting Military Families: New Knowledge for Psychologists of the NGO “Veterans’ Wives”
Psychologists from the NGO “Veterans’ Wives” recently visited Germany, where they underwent training in EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) — an effective technique for working with trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This approach helps reduce the psychological effects of stress and trauma and restores a person’s emotional balance in a short time.
EMDR is a psychotherapeutic approach developed for the treatment of PTSD and other traumas. The method was discovered by American psychologist Francine Shapiro in the 1980s and has since become one of the most effective ways to help people who have experienced stressful or traumatic events.
The core idea of the method is that when a person faces a traumatic event, their brain may not have time to fully process and “rework” the information received. As a result, part of the memory of the event remains “frozen” or “unfinished,” causing recurring negative emotions, stress, anxiety, or even physical symptoms when recalling the event.
EMDR helps “restart” the processing of these memories through eye movements or other bilateral stimuli (such as sounds or light tapping). During a session, the psychologist asks the client to focus on a memory or feeling related to the traumatic event, then guides them to move their eyes in a specific way, stimulating neural connections and allowing the brain to process the memories and reduce the intensity of negative emotions.
Now, our specialists are ready to apply the knowledge gained to support military families in Kharkiv. EMDR will enable us to better assist people in need during difficult times. We believe that this new knowledge will strengthen our work and contribute to the recovery of our heroes and their loved ones.
With support GO “Wives of Veterans”