The therapeutic technique of EMDR is my favorite technique to use as I have found it helps my clients reduce their emotional pain quicker than other methods. I learned recently of a new development in EMDR called The Flash Technique that often quickens the recovery process.
To use the Flash Technique the therapist asks the client to rate how disturbing the problem is using a SUDS scale of 1 to 10, where a 1 is not distressing at all and a 10 is the most distressing possible. Numbers in between 1 and 10 show increasing levels of distress. The therapist asks the client to put that problem out of her mind, then to concentrate on a memory or activity or song that makes the person feel happy. The therapist instructs the client to tap her legs or arms alternatively, while thinking of the happy memory, then asks the client to blink her eyes 3 times when the therapist says Flash. This is repeated 5 times. The therapist asks the client to briefly rate the original problem again on a scale of 1 to 10. This sequence may be repeated 2 to 5 times. By then, the original problem is most often felt to be much less disturbing.
