Eye Movement Desensitization and ReprocessingWith an average of more than three million cases of child abuse reported each year in the United States, social workers are faced with an enormous client list of children and adults who are or have been victims of cruelty and neglect. If left untreated, the chances that these individuals will lead lives full of future psychological conditions increase exponentially. Because many children and some adults are unable to verbalize disturbing experiences, a treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can often provide the solution that more traditional therapies cannot. Overall EMDR therapy is important because it helps process painful memories, reducing their lingering effects which allows patients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms and lead normal lives. EMDR was developed in the late 1970s by Francine Shapiro and was used primarily on Vietnam veterans. War. However it is now commonly used outside of the military population and is considered very effective in treating anxiety and depression. EMDR is used for individuals who have experienced severe trauma that continues to remain unresolved. The primary goal of EMDR therapy is to desensitize clients to their stressful memories, reducing their lingering effects and allowing clients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms. This is done in an eight-step procedure that includes having patients recall distressing images while being given one of several types of dual sensory input, including lateral eye movements, recording, or auditory tones. Bilateral stimulation consists of stimuli presented in left-to-right patterns. These can take the form of auditory tones, hand... center of paper... accidents, accidents or sudden death of a loved one, and physical or sexual violence. EMDR therapy demonstrates that the mind can indeed heal from psychological trauma just as the body recovers from physical trauma. Overall, EMDR has proven to be a very successful therapy, but one that many do not fully understand. While this lack of understanding creates some controversy about EMDR, most of the controversy centers on whether eye movement, part of the treatment, is essential to helping patients diagnosed with PTSD. So far researchers still can't be sure whether eye movement treatment is essential to help patients diagnosed with PTSD. Overall EMDR therapy is important because it helps process distressing memories, reducing their lingering effects which allows patients to develop more adaptive coping mechanisms and lead ordinary lives..