Emotional Healing at Warp Speed: The Power of EMDR [Hardcover]

David Grand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2001

Emotional Healing at Warp Speed provides a popular introduction to a miraculous new psychotherapeutic method called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). In these pages psychotherapist David Grand, Ph.D., describes his own first encounter with EMDR, then recounts the dramatic results of bringing this new therapy into the lives of his patients. By alternately stimulating the left and right sides of the brain to clear psychological blocks and resolve trauma, EMDR helped Grand’s patients put the pieces of their emotionally shattered lives back together with a speed that exceeded his wildest dreams.

Grand’s use of EMDR has helped people from all walks of life, from railroad engineers reliving the nightmare of death on the tracks to mothers of children killed on the mean streets of America’s inner cities, from bomb victims in Belfast and Oklahoma City to Arabs and Israelis traumatized by decades of hatred and violence. His account of this work inspires and touches the reader’s heart as it reveals the healing power of a process that works as swiftly as thought itself.

Grand takes EMDR–developed by Francine Shapiro, M.D., only fourteen years ago–far beyond its initial use in healing trauma. In addition to turbo- charging breakthroughs in psychotherapy, Grand uses EMDR to clear away blocks to performance and creativity. Remarkable examples show athletes, actors, musicians, and artists improving their performance, and a self-use chapter describes practical ways readers can apply this remarkable method to resolve fear of public speaking, enhance creativity, enjoy deeper, more restful sleep, resolve stress and anxiety, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crediting Francine Shapiro with originating the technique just 13 years ago, Long Island psychotherapist Grand explains eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for a popular audience. With 40,000 trained practitioners, this recent addition to the therapeutic arsenal has tremendous potential, he argues, for healing the effects of trauma, relieving depression, enhancing creativity and performance and improving studying and test taking. Focusing on a "target image" associated with a traumatic memory, the patient is led through a step-by-step process of recalling scenes, emotions and physical sensations while receiving "bilateral stimulation" through guided eye movements, alternating sounds in headphones or alternately receiving squeezes, massaging rubs or taps on the left and right sides of the body. According to Grand, one-time traumas (car accidents, bombings, hurricanes) can be released in one session, even in a few minutes, while deeper disturbances (repeated child abuse, war experiences) may take longer and may involve additional methods of therapy. He provides compelling anecdotal evidence of EMDR's effectiveness with train engineers traumatized by suicides and accidents on the tracks; survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing and Florida's Hurricane Andrew; mothers of slain children in Brooklyn; residents of Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Israel and the occupied territories; survivors of child abuse; and professional actors and athletes. While many readers may still find it doubtful that any one therapy could work on all patients, especially in such rapid time, Grand presents an intriguing case for his approach. (Aug. 21)Forecast: The claim of "warp speed" healing will attract deserved media scrutiny, while Grand's passion for his subject will help sell the book.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

According to psychotherapist Grand, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a body/mind therapy that stimulates the brain and physiological network through left-right eye movements, is an effective way to heal emotional scars. Grand carefully outlines the steps necessary to practicing EMDR properly and includes limitations regarding self-use. Not only can EMDR help maximize athletic performance and foster artistic creativity, he contends, but it can also mend traumas stemming from exposure to hurricanes, bombings, and war. Real-life examples of successful EMDR patients are engaging. Although it takes awhile to grasp the author's point, it is worth the wait: as we come to honor the interconnectedness of sensory memory and body experience in ourselves, we will move from a place of healing our psychic traumas to a better place that of inner crisis prevention at the outset. Unusual and thought-provoking, this is recommended for large mental health collections of public libraries. Lisa Liquori, Syracuse, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1st edition (August 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609607464
• ISBN-13: 978-0609607466
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,041,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As a former patient of Dr. Grand..., June 2, 2002

By 

Margaret Shaw (West Babylon, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emotional Healing at Warp Speed: The Power of EMDR (Hardcover)

I was pleased to see that he had written a book that explains EMDR and the problems of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder patients. This is a great public service because so many people suffer trauma and could be treated effectively if only those around them had a better understanding and were better able to offer support. Read this book, if you haven't already, for the sake of those around you who suffer from PTSD. Everyone knows someone who has suffered this kind of trauma.

As much as I enjoyed the well-written descriptions of the treatments, the individual cases, and Dr. Grand's personal experiences, I found the chapters that dealt with the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program most valuable. Trauma in conflict-ridden areas left untreated, can cause more trauma, be handed down from generation to genertaion, and destroy the lives of multitudes. HAP brings training to war-torn areas and those affected by disasters. There cannot be peace in any part of the world if there is no peace in the minds of individuals.

I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read and certainly worth more than the time it takes to read it.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable reading about a powerful therapeutic technique, February 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Emotional Healing at Warp Speed: The Power of EMDR (Hardcover)

Even though I've read (most of the)other books on EMDR, I found Grand's treatment fresh and engaging. The amazing thing is, that this therapy works so well, and is not more widely known or used. Grand gives special emphasis to the uses of EMDR in both short-term and long-term therapy. Most other books for general audiences emphasize the short-term applications, but Grand illustrates it can also help some longer, more complicated situations. He also discusses EMDR's uses in enhancing peak performance, and this is fresh and interesting. If you are a therapist who uses EMDR, you will probably find this enjoyable. If you are a layman interested in this new therapy this is a good place to start, or continue your reading. Written in a very engaging manner that made it an enjoyable read.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just for Major Trauma, March 8, 2002

By 

Benjamin Conley "author of The Spiritual Conn... (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emotional Healing at Warp Speed: The Power of EMDR (Hardcover)

I found Grand exciting and engaging, because in more than eight years of using EMDR, he has gone beyond the original protocol of work with major trauma to work with ordinary people in extraordinary ways. For example, he was engaged by the New Actor's Workshop in New York City to help train actors in deepening the emotional meaning of their roles and to evaporate stage fright.
He describes how our beliefs hold us back from peak performance in many areas, including sports, and how he has worked with sports figures to help them out of periodic "slumps". He shows that EMDR can be used to help people live in the present, not in the past as those who are depressed, nor in the future as those who are anxious. Everyday people like you and me.
This is a book for the therapist who wants to add another sophisticated tool to help others. It is a book for anyone who wants to pursue emotional growth. Those interested in how beliefs support or diminish emotional well-being might find The Spiritual Connection: Values, Faith, and Psychotherapy of interest.
Grand provides an introduction to EMDR, shows with enthusiasm how it can be used in a variety of cases, and discusses the everyday self-use of bilateral stimulation in such ordinary ways as walking. Any reader interested in the discovery of a truly new method of personal emotional growth will be challenged by this book.