EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, provides a standard protocol originally developed to address the symptoms related to life-threatening traumatic experiences such as rape and war. It is hypothesized to work by evoking the brain’s naturally adaptive information processing system to address the target we choose to focus on. There is strong research support showing that EMDR decreases trauma symptoms more quickly and effectively than other forms of therapy (link). In addition, EMDR can be helpful for any memory that still causes distress in the present. For example, you might have trouble trusting a new partner due to remembering the betrayal of a past partner. Many times when we “overreact” to daily events, these heightened emotions indicate that a past event has been triggered again, even if we are not clearly aware of the specific relevant memory in the moment. EMDR typically facilitates extremely effective calming and change in such scenarios.