Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR)

What is EMDR?

EMDR is a life changing treatment, releasing individuals from the grip of their past. EMDR was initially only used to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the context of single event trauma, but this has long since changed and EMDR is now used routinely in many other clinical and non-clinical presentations, including:

• Self-esteem, performance and motivational issues

• Depression

• Anxiety, panic, OCD

• Phobias

• Mood instability, bipolar disorder

• Body dysmorphic disorder

• Complicated grief

• Pain management

• Addictions

• Complex PTSD

What happens when we experience a traumatic event?

When we encounter stressful events, our mind usually heals naturally and we are able to put the event behind us. Much of this natural mechanism of coping and adjustment occurs during sleep, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. However, when we experience trauma, and events are not processed in the usual adaptive way, emotional and bodily sensations experienced at the time of the trauma can become held in our bodies, within the limbic system, and easily reactivated by events in the present. In a sense, traumatic events are re-lived through flashbacks and nightmares but also through a distortion in the lens within which we see ourself, others and the world.

How does EMDR work?

EMDR utilises the natural healing ability of your body. Eye movements, similar to those during REM sleep are recreated by watching the therapist's finger moving back and forth across your visual field. Experiences during a session may include changes in thoughts, images and feelings; and with repeated sets of eye movements, the trauma memory may change in such a way that it loses its painful intensity, becoming a more neutral memory of an event in the past. Other associated memories may also be desensitised and re-processed at the same time, resulting in significant changes in emotional distress, physical symptoms and core beliefs.

Bilateral stimulation through eye movements (or other forms of bilateral stimulation, such as butterfly taps) within a carefully delivered EMDR protocol, assist in developing reparative neural-networks. The back and forth movements help the traumatic memory (which is looping in the emotional side of the brain in a “raw” emotional form) to become integrated with the cognitive part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) so that it can be transformed into a healthier, adaptive verbal “story” form and stored in a more natural way.

How long does treatment take?

EMDR can be a brief focused treatment or included as part of a longer period of psychotherapy using an alternative model, such as Schema Therapy. EMDR sessions are between 50 to 90 minutes.

Will I remain in control?

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. 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.

Can anyone benefit from EMDR?

EMDR can dramatically accelerate therapy by resolving the impact of past events and allowing you to live more fully in the present. If you experience a significant abreaction during a treatment session you will be supported through the feelings of distress and the session will close with safety imagery to ensure that you leave in a grounded state.

How effective is EMDR?

The validity and reliability of EMDR has been established by rigorous research (For full details of research trials, see www.emdr- europe.org and www.emdr.org). EMDR is also recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for PTSD.

There is growing evidence to indicate that the positive effects of EMDR can be magnified through introducing bilaterally stimulating exercise between sessions. You will therefore be encouraged to engage in bilateral exercise such as taking a brisk walk, jogging, boxing or dancing. Having time and space to rest in the immediate period after a treatment session is also helpful, to avoid rushing back into a noisy or stressful atmosphere, as processing will continue after and between sessions. Some individuals experience more dreams during EMDR treatment and this is a natural and normal reaction to reorganising and storing memories differently.

Note: A full assessment of the suitability of EMDR will be conducted and an initial resource building treatment phase will be required before trauma processing can begin.