Prince Harry has shared the EMDR therapeutic techniques he uses to control his anxiety.
The Duke of Sussex opened up about his mental health in the latest episode of the new Apple TV docuseries, The Me You Can't See, which Harry co-created and executive produced in collaboration with Oprah Winfrey.
In it, Prince Harry spoke about the benefits of using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EDMR - a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
Watch Prince Harry perform the technique in the video below:As you can see in the footage above, Harry can be seen employing the grounding exercise in conjunction with another technique known as bilateral stimulation, crossing his arms and tapping on each shoulder.
Per USA Today, Harry stated in the segment that he often felt overwhelmed by anxious feelings when flying back to the United Kingdom, since he associated this with negative memories of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales
Harry stated that: "One of the biggest lessons that I've ever learned in life is you've sometimes got to go back and to deal with really uncomfortable situations and be able to process it in order to be able to heal."
He then spoke about he had experimented with EMDR after years of traditional behavioral therapy in order to deal with his traumatic past and strengthen his relationship with his wife, Meghan Markle.
The technique is recommended by Nice, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, as well as the World Health Organization, as effective for assuaging the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to The Guardian, EMDR was developed in the 1980s by a US psychologist, Francine Shapiro, who theorized that controlled eye movements could help lessen the distress of her own traumatic memories.
The technique has previously been praised by actress and influencer Jameela Jamil in a post made to her 3.4 million followers on Instagram.
In an accompanying caption, the 35-year-old star of The Good Place wrote: "It’s ok not to be. Well done for just getting through the damn day. Nothing wrong or embarrassing about getting help either.
"I had a therapy called EMDR that I used for depression, anxiety, eating disorder issues, and PTSD.
"If you should be lucky enough to access any mental healthcare I would urge you to spend your money on that before ANYTHING else that isn’t a necessity for your life. Saved my life. Love you. [sic]"