EMDR is best known for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it can also help with a range of mental health conditions in people of all ages.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It can help you process traumatic, intense or troubling experiences, to relieve the distress and pain these cause you,
helping you cope with everyday life.
What happens in an EMDR session?
First we will work together to explore past and present issues; how you may have been affected by trauma or distress, and what impacts these are having on your life.
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We work on 'stabilisation' and your personal resources to enable you to calm any distress you might feel, in order to feel safe in the present before processing any trauma.
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EMDR uses bilateral stimulation in the form of hand tapping and side to side eye movements to process trauma while remaining in the present. We work at the speed you feel able to, and I am always mindful of the need for you to feel grounded and safe.
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The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends 8-12 sessions for simple trauma. Sometimes people need less, sometimes people need more. For more complex issues treatment may be over several months, but EMDR is not generally a long-term therapeutic intervention like psychotherapy.
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A typical EMDR therapy session lasts from 60-90 minutes.
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What can EMDR be used for?
In addition to its use for the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, EMDR has been successfully used to treat:
anxiety and panic attacks
depression
stress
phobias
sleep problems
complicated grief
addictions
pain relief, phantom limb pain
self-esteem and performance anxiety
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Can anyone benefit from EMDR?
EMDR can accelerate therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing you to live more fully in the present. It is not, however, appropriate for everyone. The process is rapid, and any disturbing experiences, if they occur at all, last for a comparatively short period of time. Nevertheless, you need to be aware of, and willing to experience, the strong feelings and disturbing thoughts, which sometimes occur during sessions.
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During EMDR treatment, you will remain in control, fully alert and wide-awake. This is not a form of hypnosis and you can stop the process at any time. Throughout the session, the therapist will support and facilitate your own self-healing and intervene as little as possible. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously, and new connections and insights are felt to arise quite naturally from within. As a result, most people experience EMDR as being a natural and very empowering therapy.
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For more information see https://emdrassociation.org.uk/ and https://emdr-europe.org/