EMDR ( eye movement desensitization reprocessing)

 For patients with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and Complex Trauma, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)  reduces or eliminates symptoms such as

• flashbacks
• nightmares 
• extreme anxiety/terror/fear
• overwhelming emotions such as depression and anxiety
• intrusive, disturbing thoughts  and images of past trauma
• body sensations  and symptoms originating from past trauma
• core beliefs about yourself that have been shaped by past trauma
• self-destructive or self-sabotaging behaviours originating from past trauma

EMDR is an effective treatment for both recent trauma and past trauma, including complex childhood trauma.

There are many kinds of situations and experiences that constitute trauma. The trauma may be a single incident or a long-standing situation that causes chronic  distress. Any  situation that is emotionally overwhelming and makes you feel unsafe or unloved, may constitute trauma.  Any past situation that still seriously haunts you, may be regarded as traumatic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends EMDR as an "A" treatment for trauma.

 Normally, we process our experiences by thinking, talking, crying and dreaming about the experience. Traumatic experiences can overwhelm this natural system and traumatic memories can become stuck in the limbic system of the brain.  The passing of time does not shift these stuck memories. They cannot be processed. When triggered by something in the here and now, these stuck memories can have a serious impact on your thoughts, emotions, behaviour and even your body.

In particular, when the trauma has occured during childhood, the stuck memoires remain in their original form, from the child's perspective. Children's minds are not developed enough to make sense of traumatic experiences and so these memories,  seen through the child's eyes, are very raw and unprocessed. Even years or decades later, these stuck memories cannot be processed by the  mature adult mind, and cannot be modified by adult experiences, knowledge and wisdom. This can prevent you, as an adult, from making sense of past traumatic experiences. Making sense of our experiences is a vital part of healing and recovery.

EMDR is based on our knowledge of how these raw memories become stuck  in the limbic system of the brain and how we can access them so that the mature adult brain can finally process them naturally. EMDR utilises eye movement similar to the eye movements we have during REM ( rapid eye movement ) sleep. During REM sleep, we are dreaming. This is the brain's natural way of processing our experiences. EMDR is a bit like REM sleep but we use the eye movements while you are awake to initiate the brain's natural processing system.

All trauma work is done with the utmost regard for making the patient feel safe and supported. During EMDR the therapist helps the patient to maintain dual awareness; this means helping you to stay grounded in the present while you are thinking about the past. This increases your feeling of safety and makes it easier to think about the past without becoming traumatized.

For extremely disturbing memories and images, the FLASH technique provides a way of reprocessing trauma without having to even think about it or talk about it.  

*EMDR can be integrated harmoniously with other types of psychological therapy