EMDR Therapy

What is Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR)?

EMDR is a psychological therapy that was developed in the 1980’s by Francine Shapiro. It has been well researched since then and the evidence shows that it is proven to benefit people who have experienced difficulty adjusting to difficult and traumatic events. EMDR is also one of the treatments recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) for post traumatic stress disorder.

 

What EMDR is not.

EMDR is not counselling or psychoanalysis, nor is it a form of hypnosis, you will remain conscious and in control at all times.

 

How does EMDR work?

EMDR is best explained via an adaptive information processing model. Usually, when we receive information from our senses, it passes through and emotional filter in the right-hand side of the brain. It then moves through the hippocampus which processes the information and allows it to then move to the left side of the brain where it is stored as a memory.

 

When the information that we receive is from an emotionally charged experience, for some people, the information can then get stuck on the right side of the brain and therefore doesn’t move through to get processed effectively.  When this happens, the person often recalls the distressing memory and experiences as if it were happening again. This can then effect how they think about themselves and others, how they feel physically, and how they behave. 

 

What can you expect from EMDR Sessions? 

I will work with you to describe the event that you wish to address, once elements of this have been established, you will start the actual EMDR processing. The EMDR processing phase will involve eye movements, tapping, or sounds and will last around 50-60 minutes. You will be asked to recall an observer image of the experience, along with a negative statement, emotions and physical sensations, you will be asked to notice this whilst experiencing the bi-lateral stimulation. Once the sets of bi lateral stimulation finish, you will be asked to feedback what you notice and start the bi-lateral stimulation again, this will be repeated several times.

 

How long will therapy take?

It is hard to predict how long therapy will take as everyone is different. For example, some people report significant improvement in up to 3 sessions where some people may take a bit longer.

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