EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a technique that can be used to process the impacts of trauma and other disturbing memories or emotions. Utilised in conjunction with Talking Therapy and a safe therapeutic relationship, this exposure technique is known to be an effective tool for reducing symptoms such as anxiety or flasbacks.
EMDR uses eye movements (or sometimes tapping or sound) to change the way a memory is stored in the brain, assisting a person to process it more effectively.
The Theory Behind EMDR:
-
Traumatic events lead to a kind of disconnect between the logical (left) side of the brain and emotional (right) side and are therefore not properly processed.
-
When a person is then reminded of a trauma they experienced, they react as though it’s happening again (they have diffulty differentiating between past and present).
-
Bilateral stimulation helps the two sides of the brain to communicate with one another and change the way that the traumatic memories are stored.
EMDR can be utilised as a stand-alone therapy or as part of a broader approach to Trauma Therapy, which might include Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, or other Experiential Approaches.
When undergoing trauma counselling, re-telling the story of the events can be triggering; one of the benefits of EMDR is that it reduces the need to talk about the traumatic events while still having the benefits of an effective therapeutic tool.
Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to explore if this approach might be helpful for you.