During the Vietnam War, American soldiers and sailors manned the Mobile Riverine Force (MRF) assault boats that patrolled the Mekong Delta. The Riverines were key to the success of Allied forces in the Delta during the 1968 Tet offensive, and were frequently met with hostile fire from enemy forces.
Decades later, clinical psychologist Marilyn Luber would aid the recovery of a Riverine veteran from PTSD. Using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) she guided him in dampening the severity of his trauma.
“He said it feels like the log jam in his heart was opened,” Ms. Luber recalls during our interview.
“He also felt like there was a younger part who had a different perspective, who was trying to help him understand what had happened.”
Ms. Luber has been practicing EMDR since 1992. She is the author and editor of nine books on this interactive psychotherapy that, in part, uses bilateral stimulation (usually of the eyes) to allow traumatic memory to be stored in a healthier and more adaptive way.
Since its inception several decades ago, EMDR has helped tens of millions of people across the world recover from psychological trauma. Alongside this, it is also used to treat anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive, and other mental health disorders.
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Can Counter PTSD, Depression, Anxiety—Here’s How | Feat Marilyn Luber
