Trauma Therapy - EMDR
When we experience traumatic or distressing events in our lives we may feel overwhelmed by them and unable to move on. Where this occurs our brain is unable to process the event to the extent that it is as if the brain becomes frozen and results in us re-experiencing the event in different ways such as recalling the sights, smells, sounds, memories, feelings and body sensations, as if the traumatic event were happening all over again.
We may experience flashbacks - vivid reminders of the event that feel overwhelming. We may have unpredictable or uncharacteristic mood swings. Those suffering trauma may experience nightmares and feel anxious and panicky at times when we are triggered or reminded of these traumatic events. Not uncommonly we have panic attacks which are highly disturbing and can leave us avoiding certain people, places or events that might remind us of our distress.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a proven and effective technique for resolving trauma. It was originally developed in the 1980's by Francine Shapiro, an American Psychologist. Whilst out walking one day she was feeling particularly disturbed with something on her mind. It was a chance observation that by moving her eyes from side to side, it appeared to have the effect of reducing her disturbing memories and negative thoughts. This led her into a more systematic examination of this phenomenon and it was upon this research that she developed the EMDR technique.
As a fully trained EMDR Practitioner and Trauma Specialist I will guide you through the resolution of your trauma in a safe and effective manner utilising the various phases of EMDR. This is a fully collaborative process where we will work together to establish what the areas are that you would like to address. You will be guided through each of the phases and together we will regularly assess and review how the process is progressing. EMDR safely moves the disturbance from the 'traumatic' bank to the 'memory' bank thereby enabling you to regain control of you life and move on.
EMDR has featured on BBC Radio 4s programme iPM. This programme tells the story of a woman revisiting intense experiences of being bullied very early in life, from the age of four. To hear her story you can copy and paste the following link into your web browser:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04jyv3y
I have also supplied a link to a webinar by Dr Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR outlining the process and use of this type of therapy. You can copy and paste this into your web browser:
https://youtu.be/lsQbzfW9txc
