EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitisation
& Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) aims to reduce the distressing memories following a traumatic event. EMDR was originally developed to treat adults with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). The National Institute for Clinical Evidence (NICE) recommends EMDR for PTSD. However, it is also used to treat other conditions which are thought to arise out a significant past event. EMDR is known to successfully treat:
- PTSD
- depression
- performance anxiety
- phobias and fears
- anxiety
- low self-esteem
Sometimes, a distressing or traumatic memory can surface itself in the mind as if the original event is happening all over again. A person can re-experience images, sensations and thoughts experienced many years previously. And sometimes, no matter how much a person wants to move on with their lives, the event replays itself again and again uninvited and can be overwhelming and intense.
Sometimes these events emerge as flashbacks or nightmares. Sometimes it is more subtle. An everyday happening can recall the trauma and the individual reports that they have behaved disproportionately and seeming uncontrollably to the confusion of themselves and others.
Trauma therapies help individuals process memories and the sights, sounds, smells, thoughts and feelings which are ‘stuck’ in the past and triggered by harmless happenings in the present. While these unpleasant memories cannot be erased, Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) can help the experiences become ‘unstuck’ to store them like ordinary memories which cause less distress.
EMDR works by alternating left-right stimulation of the brain with eye movements, sounds or taps. This simulates what happens naturally during REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement).
EMDR Frequently Asked Questions
EMDR is both an unusual and highly effective treatment. Below are some common questions clients ask about EMDR. If you would like to explore the treatment, it would be best for us to arrange for an initial session to assess the suitability of the therapy for you.
What will happen in an EMDR therapy session?
Before EMDR treatment begins, I will talk you through the theory, answering any questions you may have. At this point we may also go through some relaxation exercises (e.g. guided meditations or breathing techniques) for you to draw on during times of stress outside of your sessions. This is known as the second phase of EMDR in preparing you for the treatment.
At this point, I will begin to lead you through phases three to six. You will now target specific distressing memories with eye movements or other forms of left-right stimulation such as taps or sounds. To start with, you will select an image to represent the event and then to think about positive and negative thoughts, the amount of distress you feel and where you feel it in your body. I will then use bilateral eye movements (or taps or sounds) in a series of ‘sets’ lasting around 25 seconds. After each set, I will ask you to briefly feedback on your experience during the preceding set, before starting the eye movements again. I may also ask you to recall the original memory and ask you how it seems to you now. This will continue until your distress has cleared (or is reduced as much as possible) and you are experiencing more positive thoughts and feelings.
The seventh phase is known as closure and it offers you time to feel calm again using the relaxation exercises you learnt at the beginning of the session. Finally, the eighth phase is called re-evaluation – and this is effectively the first step in your next session.
What if I have eye difficulties and can not make rapid eye movements?
Is EMDR similar to hypnosis?
How many sessions will I need?
How do I know if EMDR is the right treatment for me?
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Chartered PsychologistCANARY WHARF COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGISTDR SHERYLIN THOMPSON CPsychol DCPsych UKCP MBACP Hello and welcome to my website. My name is Dr Sherylin Thompson and I am a counselling psychologist. I hope that you find what you need to know here to get...
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