EMDR and trauma-focused therapy

EMDR

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, commonly known as EMDR, is an evidence-based therapy approach. EMDR treats intrusive memories from traumatic events in your past. It’s best known for its role in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but its use is expanding to include treatment of other conditions too.

Who can benefit from EMDR therapy?

EMDR can help people who experience difficulties arising from trauma events, and their memories relating to these events. Symtpoms include: over-reactions, changed mood or views of the world, avoidance, flash-backs, sleep disturbance and intrusive images or thoughts.

Why is this treatment used?

EMDR therapy doesn’t require talking in detail about a distressing event. EMDR instead focuses on changing the emotions, thoughts or behaviors that result from a distressing experience (trauma). This allows your brain to resume a natural healing process.

The treatment involves using stimuli to increase activity in the brain. This can be as simple as getting you to move your eyes left to right, or more commonly I use small hand-held gadgets that pulsate. This stimuli or moving or pulsing, from left to right, is central to the effectiveness of EMDR.