EMDR for Healing On Purpose

EMDR offers a culturally adaptable, evidence-based approach that helps individuals process distressing experiences without requiring detailed verbal recounting, which is especially valuable for participants who may face barriers expressing trauma through traditional talk therapy.

By facilitating the brain’s natural ability to heal, EMDR empowers individuals—especially those with lived experience of adversity—to reclaim agency and build resilience. It supports GROWURPOTENTIAL’s goals of creating equitable access to high-quality mental health care by offering a method that is both efficient and trauma-informed. Additionally, EMDR’s emphasis on resource development, emotional regulation, and integration of new, adaptive beliefs complements the program’s focus on character development, identity restoration, and long-term well-being.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) was developed by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., in the late 1980s. Her foundational book, "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures", is widely regarded. Many describe EMDR as empowering because it puts the participant in the drivers seat of their healing process. The structured nature of the therapy allows for predictable progress and most participants deeply enjoy building positive internal resources. Some even say it feels like "clearing out" or "untangling" long-held pain that talk therapy couldn't reach.

To allow our clients to experience the power of EMDR, we invite them to invest in our Character Development Online Tool. If you do not have a therapist at growURpotential you may use the tool and email info@growURpotential.org for your report. EMDR is a key tool in growURpotential’s systems-change approach, helping to break intergenerational cycles of trauma and promote sustained transformation at both the individual and community levels.