EMDR
We or rather our mind can often heal itself naturally. Much of this healing and coping is done during sleep, particularly during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed in 1987 by Francine Shapiro, to utilise these natural processes to treat Post-Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) successfully.
EMDR is now used extremely successfully world wide to treat a wide range of issues, including mental health difficulties as well as severe trauma symptoms and PTSD.
An EMDR session uses the natural healing abilities of your own mind and body. Working with your therapist and answering specific details about a disturbing memories, events and feelings. the eye movements similar to those when in REM sleep with be recreated, by watching and following with your eyes the therapists fingers, a lightbar or object moving backwards, forwards or sideways across your visual field. This is know as Bi-lateral stimulation (BLS) and can also be achieved by using other methods, such as tapping, drumming alternately or hearing sounds through headphones.
BLS will last for short intervals known as sets and between these sets you will be asked to report back any experiences and changes, the changes are often in and around thoughts, feelings and images.
When these sets of BLS are repeated the disturbing memories, events of feelings tend to lose the painful intensity and so become a neutral memory of an event.
EMDR relies on the clients own mind to heal, with very little direction from the therapist. The client remains in full control and simply allows the therapist to gently guide them through the powerful process.
Other associated and linked memories often also heal at the same time, so this therapeutic modality has dramatic and positive outcomes for clients.
As well as PTSD, EMDR is successfully in treating, Trauma, Complex Trauma, Anxiety, Panic, Depression, Stress, Phobias, Sleep difficulties, Grief, Addiction, Pain relief, Phantom limb pain, Self-Esteem and Performance anxiety and much much more.
What does Desensitisation mean?
This means the process of becoming comfortable and calm with previously disturbing and destressing memories, feelings or events, allowing the clients to move forward in their future and not be inhibited or prevented by old fears and emotions
Who can benefit from EMDR?
Many people can benefit from EMDR and can accelerate therapy. Because the therapy is rapid the disturbing experiences will occur for a short period of time. Every client must be willing to experience the strong disturbing feelings and thoughts for the brief amount of time needed.
An EMDR therapists is specialist trained professional that will support their clients throughout the process by offering calming and supportive techniques and installed images to ease any disturbances.
How long does EMDR take?
EMDR can be a brief focused treatment but also as part of a longer psychotherapy programme.
the sessions will last from 60 to 90 mins depending on each individual.
Will I remain in control and Empowered?
Just like Hypnosis (see full description in other pages), every client will remain in complete control, fully alert and wide-awake.
Again just like Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy you can stop the process at anytime.
The therapist is there to facilitate your own natural self-healing. Reprocessing is usually something that happens spontaneously, meaning new insights, connections and changes occur naturally from within, therefore it is extremely empowering for the client.
Natural processing may also continue in between the psychotherapy sessions.
N.B EMDR should only ever be practiced and carried out by a qualified therapist, who is trained to keep their clients safe, by desensitising rather than increasing emotional disturbance of memories or events.
I offer face to face EMDR and I am a fully Accredited Practitioner.
