Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is mostly used to treat trauma and PTSD. However, it is also effective in treating anxiety, depression, panic and distressing memories.
When a person has been through something traumatic, the brain often struggles to process what has happened. The memory becomes stuck in the nervous system. This causes the memory to remain very distressing and intense. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements or tapping) to help the brain “unstick” and properly process traumatic memory. This enables the brain to recall the memory without high levels of distress. The process is thought to be like REM sleep in which the eyes move rapidly from side to side while the brain processes the events and memories from the day.
Common misconceptions
You will be fully awake and in control during EMDR processing and will be able to stop at any time.
EMDR can be used for a range of difficulties from severe and complex PTSD to anxiety and depression.
While you can speak to your therapist about everything that happened if you wish, EMDR can also work without you needing to share any details of what happened at all if that is your preference by using a protocol known as “blind to therapist”.
While processing trauma can be difficult and draining, we will use a number of strategies to prepare for EMDR including building resources and using relaxation strategies.
What sessions look like:
Before we begin processing the memory or memories, we will spend time discussing your history, using relaxation strategies, grounding techniques and resources.
Once ready, we will move on to processing the trauma by agreeing on a starting point and using bilateral stimulation to process the memory. Usually sessions of EMDR will last 60-90 minutes (we will agree this prior to the session).
Fees: £90 for 60 minutes