What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing. EMDR is one of many therapeutic approaches. EMDR is a way of allowing us to move through and heal from a distressing past event. Essentially it allows our brain to move the information linked to the event from the "RED ALARM! filing cabinet" of memories into the "grey" one. It will always remain an unpleasant event but it will loose its 'fire'. It also allows us to update our script around it for example from: I am out of control to: I can manage and look after myself now.

The first stages of EMDR are getting the "road map" of your life and experiences so that we can begin to work out all the important threads. Together we build a picture of the way your experiences have shaped your beliefs about yourself and the world around you. You may not have experienced a Capital 'T' Trauma but instead many, small repetitive traumatic experiences such as, getting repeated messages that 'you are not good enough' which can result in present day moments activating this belief and causing distressing reactions.

Building up your existing skills and resources is key. We have so many positive beliefs about ourselves which can get lost in the background when we feel in distress. We also learn ways of calming your nervous system and managing emotions so that your confidence in yourself grows before we tackle the challenging feelings related to the difficult events.

Those who have heard of EMDR often think of the "processing" part, the tapping or eye movements. This is in fact stage 4 out of the 8 that make up the EMDR process. This in itself can lend people to think that it is a modular, quick and easy therapy where we can have the eye movements 'done to us' and we feel better. This is a both/and situation! Yes, there is a followed protocol. The processing stage is a connected and emotional part of the process. Sometimes working on being comfortable feeling and expressing emotions is just as important as the processing and is key in allowing us to process. We may move in and out of processing in therapy and explore what 'barriers' we may be putting in place to protect us from distress. The processing stage is where bilateral stimulation (activating both sides of the brain) is introduced, such as tapping or eye movements, when thinking about the distressing event. EMDR can be very quiet work. You can share as little as you want about the experience and memories.

EMDR can be sold as a 'quick' and/or simple way of moving through trauma. It can move things quickly however, when we may be dealing with challenging early relationships or abuse this takes time to heal. The therapeutic relationship always remains key, as in every model of therapy. You need to feel comfortable, safe and connected to your therapist. Knowing that together you can work through all the peaks and troughs.