What is EMDR?

 

EMDR is a powerful psychological treatment for psychological trauma that was developed in the 1980’s by American Clinical Psychologist Dr Francine Shapiro. Repeated distress and overwhelming traumatic experiences can become stuck in our memories with all the associated feelings and physical sensations.  These are stored as unprocessed traumatic memories that then become continually triggered by experiences similar to the difficult ones originally experienced and bring about all the associated painful feelings and sensations, often in the form of flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks or dissociation. The mind can often heal itself naturally, in the same way the body does. Much of this natural coping mechanism occurs during sleep, particularly through the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.  EMDR utilises this natural process to effectively treat a wide range of mental health conditions.

​

What can EMDR be used for?

​

EMDR is a very effective treatment for PTSD, trauma events or incidents, abuse, phobias, low self-esteem and any heightened emotional response-based difficulty (such as anxiety, anger, grief/loss) where there may be disturbing memories linked to the onset of the difficulty. It is one of the NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) recommended treatments of PTSD.

 

EMDR sessions

​

EMDR is a comprehensive therapy, which means that it integrates various other holistic therapeutic approaches in addition to the reprocessing aspects (the famous ‘eye movements’ as it is well known for). During the initial phase, a thorough assessment takes place and a treatment plan will be developed with you. The stabilisation phase then occurs, preparing the client and ensuring they are sufficiently ‘resourced’, which includes having adequate coping mechanisms, and the ability to self-regulate before proceeding to the treatment phase. During the treatment phase, the therapist fully supports the client through the process, whereby the client is in control at all times. It involves recalling part of a memory, holding it together with any potential negative belief, emotion and sensations held in the body whilst bilateral stimulation of the brain occurs (through eye   movements or tapping on the knees or hands - your therapist will discuss this with you during the assessment).

With repeated sets of eye/hand movements, the memory tends to change in such a way that it loses its painful intensity and simply becomes a neutral memory of an event in the past. Other associated memories may also heal at the same time. This linking of related memories can lead to dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of your life.  After sessions, the reprocessing can often continue and you may be given homework exercises to further complement the treatments, e.g. you may be encouraged to engage in any activities you may have previously avoided. During the treatment phase other therapeutic approaches may be woven in as necessary, including therapeutic bodywork (positive touch therapy) if required).

 

How many sessions do I need?

​

EMDR is an extremely effective treatment method and has been found to have much quicker results than other therapies such as counselling or CBT, which often takes a minimum of 12 sessions or several months to have an effect. However, as with all therapies, there is no 'quick fix' and trauma therapy requires commitment and willingness to engage. 

In some cases results can be seen in as little as 2 or 3 sessions for a particular topic, however this may depend on the complexity of issues and how many topics a person wants to work on. On average a person may benefit from around 8 - 12 sessions. For complex PTSD or multiple goals to be worked on then more sessions may be required.

​

For more detailed information please see https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

 

Prices:

Initial consultation £40 (60 minutes - meet and greet, brief overview of treatment processes and goals)

Follow on sessions £75 (up to 90 minute session)

Block of 4 sessions (to be used within a 2 month period and paid in advance) - £280 (saving £5 per session)

(If you require more than 10 sessions, target-focussed 60 minute sessions are available at £55 each)