Sitting with his eyes closed, his back straight and his hands crossed on his chest, Prince Harry follows the instructions of his psychologist and taps or alternately pats each shoulder with his fingers. Out of context, this scene from the documentary The me you can’t see released in 2021 which shows the youngest son of King Charles of England in a sort of trance as his thoughts and movements are guided by the voice of a therapist via webcam, would baffle anyone.

And it is that, although today seeing celebrities making gestures and repeating sequences of movements in front of the camera is the general rule in the TikTok universe, what the former prince shows in the health series mental performance by Oprah Winfrey is far from being a parody or choreography of the latest fashion hit. The image captures something completely different. This is an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) session, a therapy that, just like Harry, thousands of people around the world have used to address mental health issues. Especially those associated with trauma.

EMDR is a treatment system that seeks to reprogram memories through bilateral, alternating stimulation of the cerebral hemispheres using eye movements or tapping. This dynamic created in the late 1980s by the New York University psychologist, Francine Shappiro, had as its inspiration and main objective the effective treatment of PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Although it is a relatively new psychological therapy format compared to other strategies and streams used for mental health treatment, it already has a recognized following worldwide. Actresses Sandra Bullock and Evan Rachel Wood were two of the women who shared their experiences with EMDR to overcome episodes of trauma through the media and their social networks.

But, in addition to being endorsed by celebrities and well-known personalities who have already experienced its benefits, EMDR has also been studied and endorsed by the scientific community. According to information published by the organization PTSD UK in the United Kingdom, 90% of patients who have experienced a traumatic episode and almost 80% of those who have experienced multiple trauma, no longer qualify as people with mental illness. post-traumatic stress after only one episode EMDR sessions.

It is precisely this speed and effectiveness in dealing with trauma that motivated clinical psychologist Claudia Romero to specialize in EMDR therapy 15 years ago. “It is a therapy focused on people who suffer the consequences of traumatic experiences such as accidents, sexual abuse, physical abuse, bereavement, among others,” Claudia explains. The therapist comments that after a traumatic event, the brain stops processing information adaptively and sensations and emotions cannot be integrated in a healthy way with the rest of our experience. In this sense, the specialist explains that, according to the EMDR paradigm, the trauma is rooted in the nervous system and the event itself is not a trauma. For this reason, EMDR uses neuroscience, specifically the brain’s plastic ability to desensitize and reprocess these memories. “Trauma is fixed as information in neural networks and cannot be processed, causing different pathologies,” he adds.

Although the goal of EMDR at its origins was to become a tool to effectively treat PTSD, Claudia Romero points out that its applications are extremely wide. “Helps people who have suffered abuse, physical or psychological violence, who live with phobias, addictions, eating disorders, etc. “, he explains. “The therapy focuses on the memory of this traumatic experience lived by the person who consults and constitutes a complete tool to solve the problem.” Francine Shappiro herself has conducted several clinical tests that have shown that this eye movement brain stimulation strategy not only works effectively and permanently, but also quickly. “7 out of 10 studies have reported that EMDR is faster and/or more effective than cognitive behavioral therapy,” comments the pioneer of this treatment in the publication. He adds that other studies have found a rapid decrease in negative emotions or disturbing thoughts or images that sometimes overwhelm a trauma victim’s mind. As shown in the Apple+ documentary series which shows the testimony and experience of Prince Harry, EMDR is a strategy applicable to major trauma or difficulties that other therapies have failed to heal. In Harry’s case, the event around which his treatment revolves is the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was a child.

It may seem unlikely that simple eye or hand movements guided by a therapist can heal wounds as deep and ancient as grieving the death of a parent in childhood. But Claudia Romero confirms that efficiency and speed are two of the main characteristics of EMDR. “Even the patients themselves are surprised by the rapid evolution and the noticeable improvements”, comments Claudia.

Although EMDR may seem magical to some skeptics, it is not a silver bullet. And Claudia Romero herself reaffirms this because she explains that the sessions can be intense and difficult for the person. Because EMDR is not just gestures and movements. It’s a strategy that focuses on what stood out to us at a given time and continues to do damage today. The promise of EMDR is not to be a magic bullet, but rather an opportunity to revisit this trauma and process it again. In a more conscious and healthy way.