EMDR Therapy: Does it actually work?

It is entirely understandable to be skeptical, but EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is heavily backed by empirical research and endorsed by the WHO and APA for trauma treatment. The bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or audio tones) mimics the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep. This taxation of working memory allows the brain to take traumatic memories that are "stuck" in the emotional center (amygdala) and properly integrate them into the narrative memory center (hippocampus). It doesn't erase the memory, but it removes the visceral, physiological panic attached to it.