EMDR was developed by Francine Shapiro PhD in 1987 and is now a regularly practiced evidence-based therapy designed to help individuals heal from traumatic experiences. While Nanci has been practicing EMDR since 2010, in 2022, she joined Personal Transformation Institute (PTI)  to support their mission in training therapists in PTI’s Somatic and Attachment Focused (SAFE) EMDR approach.

EMDR is based on the premise of Francine Shaprio’s Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model which posits that traumatic memories are not processed in the natural way memories are processed and are stored unprocessed in the memory network in the brain and are often interconnected. As a result, when individuals with trauma experiences are triggered, they experience internal and external symptoms as though responding to the traumatic event even though the experience is in the past.  

PTI’s SAFE approach adds to the AIP Model emphasizing that attachment and connection with others impacts how individuals regulate and move through the healing process. 

EMDR uses a bilateral movement, often referred to as Bilateral Stimulation (BAS) or Dual Attention Stimulation (DAS) – any movement that crosses the midline of the body is a bilateral, to allow the brain to process the unprocessed memories in the memory network. Theoretically, BLS replicates the REM sleep patterns and allows the brain to process the memories as it is during the REM stage of sleep where memories and emotions are processed.