Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)

How does EMDR therapy work?

Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyses and controls behaviour and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, traditional therapy is often not enough to fully unravel the trauma and emotional issues in individuals.

Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” When activated, these memories cause a negative impact on our daily functioning and interfere with the way we see ourselves and our world, and how we relate to others.

EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved. This enables you to access positive ways of reframing the original trauma (reprocessing), and to release the body’s stored negative emotional charges around it (desensitization).

EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or completing homework between sessions. EMDR therapy allows the brain to resume its natural healing process.

Who would benefit from EMDR Therapy?

As an EMDR-trained clinician I use this therapy to successfully treat the following conditions:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Sexual and/or physical abuse

• Phobias

• Anxiety

• Performance anxiety

• Panic attacks

• Complicated grief

• Depression

EMDR therapy can help children feel better about different problems, like:

• Bullying

• Anxiety and worries

• Sadness

• Anger problems

• Parents arguing and fighting

• Parents divorcing or separating

• Medical problems

• Moving to a new home

• Eating issues

• Losing a person or pet

• Experiencing abuse (physical, emotional, sexual) or neglect

• Having nightmares

• Sleeping problems

• Witnessing violence in their neighbourhood and

• Experiencing natural disasters