EMDR

If you have experienced trauma or PTSD and are considering therapy to help you deal with that then please ask me about EMDR. 

EMDR is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) who state that EMDR should be considered when treating trauma.  It is a proven therapeutic method that reduces disturbances related to traumatic events and enables reprocessing of distressing memories. 

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a comprehensive psychotherapy that helps you process and recover from past experiences that are affecting your mental health and wellbeing.  It involves using side to side eye movements combined with talk therapy in a specific and structured format. 

It helps to move the storage of a disturbing memory from the past to a more functional part of the brain through gentle bilateral stimulation with eye movement.  The bilateral stimulation creates biochemical changes in the brain that enables us to respond to the present without the past interfering. 

The aims of EMDR therapy

The common aims of EMDR therapy include:

• Helps you process the negative images, emotions, beliefs and body sensations associated with traumatic memories that seem to be stuck. These can contribute to a range of mental health problems.
• Helps you to see things from a different perspective and relieves the symptoms that you were suffering.
• Reduce re-experiencing trauma memories.
• Help you feel more able to cope with and manage trauma memories without needing to avoid potential triggers.
• Help to reduce feelings of anxiety, stress, fear and panic.

How does EMDR work?

When traumatic events happen, the body's natural coping mechanisms can be overwhelmed, and subsequently, the memory isn't always processed adequately. 

EMDR therapy looks to help you properly process these traumatic memories, reducing their impact and helping you develop healthy coping mechanisms.  It is achieved through an eight-phase approach to address the past, present, and future aspects of stored memory.  This involves recalling distressing events while receiving 'bilateral sensory input'. 

Please contact me for further details.