What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987 as a unique way to process traumatic memories and the negative beliefs and emotions that are associated with them. The goal is to help clients process disturbing memories and bring them to a point where there is minimal disturbance. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, taps, or audio tones) to facilitate the reprocessing.

Why Attachment-Focused EMDR?

Attachment-Focused EMDR emphasizes the role of attachment-related trauma in relationships, such as neglect, abandonment, abuse, or disruption of secure bonding during childhood. It specifically addresses how these early attachment wounds affect the individual's ability to form secure, healthy relationships in adulthood. In this approach, the therapist works to heal both trauma memories and the attachment injuries that contribute to emotional distress, taking into account attachment styles and relational difficulties in a client’s life.

Attachment-Focused EMDR also works on traumatic memories, but with a deeper focus on how attachment wounds influence relationship patterns, emotional regulation, and interpersonal dynamics. The therapist may explore how past attachment figures (parents, caregivers) shaped the client’s internal working models of relationships and use this understanding to guide healing. It involves more emphasis on building secure attachment in the therapeutic relationship itself, allowing for corrective emotional experiences.

In addition to addressing trauma memories, Attachment-Focused EMDR also focuses on helping individuals develop healthier patterns of emotional regulation and interpersonal connection. It’s more likely to address attachment patterns like anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, or disorganized attachment, which can play out in adult relationships. The goal is to build more secure attachment behaviors and strengthen a person’s ability to form healthy, trusting relationships.

This version of EMDR specifically targets attachment-related memories and the negative beliefs that arise from them, such as “I am unworthy of love,” “I am not enough”, “I am not safe,” or “I cannot trust others.” The therapeutic goal is not just to resolve the emotional distress of these memories, but to foster a more secure sense of self and a capacity for healthy, trusting relationships.