REMD is a psychotherapeutic approach that integrates cognitive-behavioral, psychoanalytic, and psychosomatic elements. It is based on the theory of adaptive information processing, confirmed by recent cognitive neuroscience research on the functioning of memory networks and cognitive processing.

​

The central concept of EMDR is that memories of traumatic experiences are locked in maladaptive neural networks.

Bilateral sensory stimulation and a dual-attention state allow for the cognitive reprocessing of memories, the reconstruction of new neural networks, and the consequent adaptive assimilation of traumatic experiences.

A patient, cognitive work, and a therapeutic relationship built on solid trust are essential for the therapy to work.

​

The first sessions focus on constructing a map of traumatic memories and identifying the four channels of each memory: the image, the emotion it generates, the bodily sensation, and the negative cognition that arises from the memory. The verbal aspect is secondary; people who are not prepared to reveal their traumas in narrative form can work on their memories through the identification of the four elements mentioned. What is unpredictable is the state of concentration and dual attention.

EMDR is applied not only to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder but also to addictions, dual diagnosis, and mixed anxiety-depressive disorder. It is based on the premise that our adverse childhood experiences have paved the way for deficits in self-concept and relationships that can be rectified through cognitive reprocessing and the creation of adaptive neural networks.