EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing
EMDR is a specialist field of therapy, which helps to heal old emotional wounds that still feel raw and can leave you with low self-esteem and little confidence. The mind has a fantastic ability to heal itself naturally, in the same way as the body does and when significant events occur in our life to make sense of them we will generally
• talk about them,
• think about them and
• dream about them.
Much of this natural coping mechanism occurs during sleep, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
What happens when you are traumatised?
Generally your body routinely manages new information and experiences in your subconscious mind without you being aware of it. However, when something out of the ordinary occurs and you are severely distressed by an overwhelming event (e.g. a car accident) or by being repeatedly subjected to suffering (e.g. childhood neglect, traumatic experiences at work), your natural coping mechanism can become overloaded.
This overloading can result in disturbing experiences remaining frozen in your brain or being "unprocessed". Events can even be future events not yet happened but the anxiety around them is overwhelming.
Such unprocessed memories and feelings are stored in the limbic system of your brain in a "raw" and emotional form, rather than in a verbal “story” mode. This limbic system maintains traumatic memories in an isolated memory network that is associated with emotions and physical sensations, and which are disconnected from the brain’s cortex where we use language to store memories. The limbic system’s traumatic memories can be continually triggered when you experience events similar to the difficult experiences you have been through.
Often the memory itself is long forgotten, but the painful feelings such as anxiety, panic, anger or despair are continually triggered in the present. Your ability to live in the present and learn from new experiences can therefore A Member of the BSCH & EMDR Association become hindered. EMDR helps create the connections between your brain’s memory networks, enabling your brain to process the traumatic memory or future event in a very natural way.
What is an EMDR session like?
EMDR utilises the natural healing ability of your body. After a thorough assessment, you will be asked specific questions about a particular disturbing memory or experience. Eye movements, sound or kinaesthetic pulsations, will be recreated using a simple EMDR device. The movements will last for a few seconds and then stop. You will then be asked to report back on the experiences you have had during each of these sets of actions.
Experiences during a session may include changes in thoughts, images and feelings. With repeated sets of eye, sound or kinaesthetic movements, the memory tends to change in such a way that it loses its painful intensity and simply becomes a neutral memory of an event in the past. It can break down other connected memories as well and other associated memories may also heal at the same time. This linking of related memories can lead to a dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of your life.
What can EMDR be used for?
In addition to its use for the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, EMDR has been successfully used to treat:
1. anxiety and panic attacks
2. depression
3. stress
4. phobias
5. sleep problems
6. complicated grief
7. addictions
8. pain relief, phantom limb pain
9. self-esteem and performance anxiety
Can anyone benefit from EMDR?
EMDR can accelerate therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing you to live more fully in the present. It is not, however, appropriate for everyone. The process is rapid, and any disturbing experiences, if they occur at all, last for a comparatively short period of time. Nevertheless, you need to be aware of, and willing to experience, the strong feelings and disturbing thoughts, which sometimes occur during sessions prior to being resolved. We are there to support you through this.
How long does treatment take?
EMDR can be brief focused treatment or part of a longer psychotherapy programme. EMDR sessions can be for 45 to 60 minutes. A Member of the BSCH & EMDR Association
Will I will remain in control and empowered?
During EMDR treatment, you will remain in control, fully alert and wideawake. This is not a form of hypnosis and you can stop the process at any time. Throughout the session, the therapist will support and facilitate your own self-healing and intervene as little as possible. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously, and new positive thoughts and insights are felt to arise quite naturally from within. As a result, most people experience EMDR as being a natural and incredibly empowering therapy. Very little talking takes place allowing your mind to do the work it needs to.
What evidence is there that EMDR is a successful treatment?
EMDR is an innovative clinical treatment which has successfully helped over a million individuals. The validity and reliability of EMDR has been established by rigorous research. There are now nineteen controlled studies into EMDR making it the most thoroughly researched method used in the treatment of trauma, (Details on www.emdr-europe.org and www.emdr.org) is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for PTSD. We have many of our own successes and can discuss these with you.
Case Study
John had been under the Doctor for treatment for recurring nightmares which were directly related to a traumatic incident at work. He had received cognitive behavior treatment, which helped but still the nightmares came back. When he came to us he was concerned about his stability because a friend involved in the incident had just committed suicide and he was fearful he would follow. Initially, we undertook a thorough assessment to ensure he was stable enough to undergo EMDR. Once we were satisfied, John experienced three sessions of EMDR and the nightmares disappeared. Twelve months on and he is still clear of the nightmares.
For more information please contact:
Angela Whitlock-Johnson
EMDR UK & Ire, PGD.Hyp, D.Hyp, BSCH(Mem)