EMDR
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy.
Yup, Uhhuh, Okay but what does that actually mean?
Well, basically it’s the use of eye movements (or tapping or auditory stimulation) to carry out a desensitisation process. The desensitisation is of trapped memories that are causing you issues in your life. The thinking is, and no-one quite knows how this works, that eye movements stimulate certain regions of the brain. It’s possible they mimic REM sleep or similar effects. When the regions of the brain related to memory processing are stimulated trapped memories can pass into long term memory and then they stop impacting you as much. It essentially places memories in the past where they belong and reduces the emotional charge associated with those memories. There are complex reasons why this hasn’t happened before – usually related to the trapped memories being linked to trauma or difficult events.
Despite not being fully clear on how EMDR works there is lots of evidence it is effective. In fact, it is considered so effective that it is seen as ‘the’ treatment for PTSD and trauma.
As for all therapies the hype can exceed the reality – expect the work to take some time – feel free to talk to use about the process and what you can expect.
Chat to us if you want to know more.