EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Psychotherapy

When upsetting events happen, the body's natural coping mechanisms can be overwhelmed and subsequently, the memory isn't always processed adequately. It essentially gets 'stuck' in the body and mind. 'Trauma' can be a single incident event (such as being in a serious car accident), but more commonly can be the result of a series of events over time from a young age whereby you felt overwhelmed and unable to cope.

EMDR therapy looks to help you properly process these traumatic memories, reducing their impact and helping you develop healthy coping mechanisms. This is done through an eight-phase approach to address the past, present, and future aspects of a stored memory. This involves recalling distressing events while receiving 'bilateral sensory input', including side to side eye movements, hand tapping and auditory tones. EMDR can be delivered effectively in-person or online.

EMDR is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of upsetting or disturbing life experiences.  Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal.  EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.  When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound.  If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain.  Once the block is removed, healing resumes.  EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes.  The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health.  If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. EMDR therapy can help clients activate their natural healing processes (EMDR Institute, Inc.)

EMDR sessions are usually 60-75 minutes long. You remain in control, fully-alert & wide-awake. You can stop the process at any time. After a full assessment & preparation work, we work on specific memories that keep you feeling stuck.

A form of bilateral stimulation (eye movements, similar to those during REM sleep; hand taps that you do on yourself or auditory tones via headphones will be used for a short 'set'. Then I will ask you to briefly feedback what you notice (this might be bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions, images). You do not need to go into detail. We just need to check things are progressing. If you feel 'stuck', I can gently help move the processing along.

With repeated bilateral stimulation, the memory (and sometimes a chain of memories) tends to change in a way that it loses its painful intensity & simply becomes a neutral memory of an event in the past.

It can be useful to think of an EMDR session like being on a journey. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously, & new connections & insights are felt to arise naturally from within.

The metaphor of "Time Travel" like the A Christmas Carol film can be helpful:

• Think of me, your therapist, like the guide - the Ghost of Christmas Past (or present or future) that understands time travel well.
• In the film, the character had to visit the past in his pajamas, but you will get to take what you need. You will be resourced and feel prepared.
• We are going to visit memories where you will notice your younger self and you may have strong responses to what you see. You will notice
  your younger self thinking and feeling things. You may feel differently than your younger self since you are looking at past events with adult eyes.
• Unlike the film, you get to decide if you want to go back to the present and stop looking at the past.

Thank you to Kambria Evans Psychotherapy at www.kambriaevans.com for this metaphor which is shared with her permission.

People’s experiences of EMDR vary & I cannot predict what your individual experience will be like.

However, clients often describe the experiences targeted feeling ‘further away’, more firmly rooted in the past & less disturbing.

People often describe gaining a sense of perspective, being able to better 'make sense of things', experiencing a 'light bulb moment'. Feeling ‘calmer and more peaceful’ is common.

Repeatedly people describe feeling ‘lighter’ or ‘more solid and whole’.

People often describe a positive shift in their beliefs about themselves, for instance feeling 'worthless' to 'I have value'; 'I am powerless' to 'I have choices now'.

My personal experience of having EMDR therapy has been deeply transformative, hence my passion for delivering it to others.

EMDR is not suitable for everyone and in some cases it might be something we work up to. You do need to be able to experience strong feelings, thoughts and images which sometimes occur during sessions (being able to 'ride the wave' is a helpful way of thinking about it).

That said, if we decide EMDR is appropriate as part of your treatment plan, together we will ensure you feel fully prepared with the skills to manage powerful feelings that may arise before we start ‘reprocessing’.

Do contact me for a free no-obligation discussion if you are interested in EMDR but feel uncertain.

Yes. I have been delivering EMDR online since March 2020 and find that in most cases, it just as effective as in-person work.

Key considerations: you need to have somewhere private where you will not be disturbed and a reliable internet connection.

Advantages to online EMDR:

• Be in the comfort of your own home.
• Less travel and associated costs
• Have some 'down time' at home after the session before moving on with the rest of your day
• Improved access to therapy for those who live further afield (I now see clients all over the country and worldwide) or would find it difficult to attend in-person.
• Things that help 'ground' you in easy reach (eg. pets, grounding objects, familiar surroundings)

Sometimes people feel apprehensive about setting up the tech. I offer a free 15 minute session to help you set this up.

The EMDR Association UK is supportive of online EMDR and has produced some guidelines here: https://emdrassociation.org.uk/a-unique-and-powerful-therapy/covid-19-information-for-clients/

I have advanced EMDR training in Attachment-Informed Transpersonal EMDR, especially beneficial for healing relational trauma. I find this approach to be supportive, intuitive and client focused.

I have also trained in managing dissociation; complex trauma (C-PTSD); ‘parts’ work such as the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model; the ‘Flash’ technique; overcoming intergenerational trauma; working with dreams and treatment of nightmares.

I am an Accredited EMDR Practitioner with the EMDR Association UK and Ireland and currently working towards consultancy. I receive monthly individual and group clinical supervision of my work from EMDR Europe Approved Consultants.

Here is a short video which describes Attachment-Informed EMDR https://youtu.be/HNdMHuwvF_M

EMDR is a reprocessing therapy rather than a talking therapy. People are often relieved to find they do not need to talk about the details of upsetting things they have experienced unlike their experience of 'exposure' therapies like CBT.

EMDR is not about 'reliving' trauma. We will ensure you have one 'foot in the past' as it were and 'one foot firmly in the present' (what is called 'dual awareness'). In EMDR therapy, when there is a high level of intensity, it is not prolonged and usually decreases rapidly. If it does not decrease rapidly on its own, I have been trained to help assist it to dissipate.

My honest answer to this common question is, it depends.

It is difficult to be precise about how many sessions you will need as this is very individual and will depend on your therapy goals.

Everyone reprocesses in different ways, and we will want to pace the work to you individually.

That said, I generally find that EMDR can be very efficient and relatively ‘fast acting’ compared to traditional ‘talking’ therapies. EMDR has the potential to get to the heart of the matter quickly.

I often suggest an assessment session, followed by a block of up to 10 treatment sessions (NB. you will not be contracted to any specific number of sessions).

We will have regular reviews to see how therapy is going and check how it feels to you.

It is common for people to take a ‘consolidation break’ to see how things settle for them; take the time to practice new therapy-learnt skills and then return for another block of sessions. This can also pace the work financially.

With single-event traumas, (for example being assaulted or involved in a car collision), significant progress and symptom relief can often be achieved in just 4-6 sessions.

If chronic stress/ trauma are more deeply embedded in childhood experiences, treatment can take longer and will usually involve a more comprehensive approach.

In terms of frequency, I see clients on a weekly basis to maintain the momentum of the work.

I recommend the following books:

• Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Techniques from EMDR Therapy by Francine Shapiro
• Chapter 15 on EMDR from The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• Tapping In: A Step-by-Step Guide to Activating your Healing Resources Through Bilateral Stimulation by Laurel Parnell

This short U Tube video on 'Trauma and the Nervous System: A Polyvagal Perspective' is excellent: https://youtu.be/ZdIQRxwT1I0