EMDR
 EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. The founder of this technique, the American psychiatrist Dr. Francine Shapiro (1987), made a connection between eye movement and emotions. When the eyes move from left to right, both hemispheres of the brain are stimulated. This is called ‘bi-lateral stimulation’. When this occurs in therapy, while thinking of a distressing memory, the mind is more likely to processes previously unprocessed thoughts, facilitating a release of the distress associated with difficult memories.
EMDR is usually part of a broader therapy that includes on-going psychotherapy. Well before EMDR comes into the therapy, it is important that you have coping strategies in place, as well as an ability to go to a safe, relaxed place in your mind – to manage your anxiety generally. We decide together when EMDR feels right.
In practice, during an EMDR session, I make use of ‘thera-tapers’. While holding one in each hand, a gentle, alternating vibration takes care of the bi-lateral stimulation so that you can focus on a distressful memory in a safe environment.
During an EMDR session, relaxation allows the conscious mind to be distracted so that old, unprocessed disturbing information can finally be resolved. This treatment is particularly suited to phobias and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress (PTSR/PTSD), including nightmares, flashbacks, and distressing thoughts associated with traumatic events. The 2005 Guidelines of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends EMDR for the treatment of PTSD. |
