If you’ve ever seen a demonstration or heard somebody describe the desensitization phase of a specific psychotherapy, you may have found it more than curious.

“A therapist asking you to follow a stimulus back and forth in front of a patient’s face? And that is supposed to help them get over traumatic events? – What kind of hocus-pocus is that?” you may ask.

It is called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, and it has a proven scientific basis.