EMDR
Who can benefit from EMDR?
Anyone feeling stressed or not functioning at their best, especially people who have experienced trauma or adverse life experiences such as the following:-
- Abuse
- Addictions
- Anxiety
- Assault
- Bullying
- Childhood neglect
- Complicated grief
- Crime victims
- Depression
- Disasters
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Pain relief
- Panic disorders
- Performance anxiety
- Phobias
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Self-esteem issues
- Sexual abuse
- Sleep disorders
- Social anxiety
- Stress
- Traffic accidents
- War trauma
- Witnessing traumatic events
What is EMDR and how can it help?
Most of the time our bodies routinely manage new information and experiences without us being aware of it and normally our memories are filed and stored away in the appropriate parts of our brain. However, if we are repeatedly subjected to distressing experiences or something out of the ordinary happens, we can become overwhelmed. This in turn may affect where our memories are stored and subsequently recalled.
Our natural coping mechanisms can become overloaded and in some cases the brain is unable to process the information normally. This can result in disturbing experiences remaining frozen in an incorrect part of the brain.
For some people the memory itself may be unclear or long forgotten but the painful feeling associated with the memory e.g. anxiety, panic, anger or despair is continually triggered affecting the ability to live in the present and learn from the experiences. EMDR offers a therapeutic way of dealing with the feelings and emotions that we have held on to.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Overwhelming traumatic events are not stored like other memories, they can remain active and intrusive. For some people recalling the event can seem like reliving the experience. This means something that took place in the past which was very disturbing, gets replayed as if it is still happening in the present. These flashbacks are often vividly recalled with fragments of images and highly disturbing bodily sensations which can be distressing and disruptive. This can lead to feelings of anxiety, being constantly on guard and sometimes avoiding situations, blocking memories or zoning out to avoid frightening or uncomfortable feelings.
What to expect with EMDR treatment
EMDR sounds complicated but it is very simple in practice. We’ll work to help build positive memories, thoughts, feeling and images. Special techniques are used to help self-regulate emotions; we call this “resourcing”. This way of working with real or imagined resources helps to cultivate feelings of calm, peace and safety.
During EMDR treatment we will focus on what’s happening in the present, whilst also thinking about an event in the past. We’ll use a range of body stimulus e.g. body tapping, eye movements or sounds. This process is called bilateral stimulation (BLS) and it’s this dual process that enables the brain to re-process and store the memory correctly to a more functional part of the brain. It’s important to note that “bilateral stimulation” promotes the emergence of insights, changes in memories or new associations that would not easily happen through traditional talking therapies.
With repeated sets of bilateral stimulation memories tend to lose their painful intensity. They are not forgotten but they cease to be troubling. In other words, the memory has been “desensitised” and “reprocessed”. Other associated memories may also feel different and this can lead to dramatic and rapid improvements in many aspects of life. EMDR is not a form of hypnosis, clients are wide awake and fully in control.
What evidence is there that EMDR is a successful treatment?
EMDR is a powerful, innovative, psychological clinical treatment developed by Dr Francine Shapiro, an American clinical psychologist, in the 1980s. Since then, a wealth of rigorous research has been conducted demonstrating its benefits in treating psychological trauma and adverse past experiences. It is the most thoroughly researched method for the treatment of trauma and is the recommended treatment by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for PTSD. At the end of EMDR therapy many people say that they are no longer disturbed by their memories liberating them to live more fulfilling and happier lives.
Who can provide EMDR?
EMDR should be practised by therapists who have a core mental health profession and a formal training in EMDR which meets the competencies of EMDR accreditation bodies. You can find more information about EMDR at the website of the EMDR Association UK: emdrassociation.org.uk