What is EMDR Therapy?  

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. EMDR therapy is a type of psychotherapy developed in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro. It was designed to alleviate distress associated with traumatic memories. It helps people recover from distressing events and problems caused by these events, like flashbacks, upsetting thoughts, depression and anxiety.

When you experience trauma, your brain may not be able to process the event in the way that it usually would. Instead, the traumatic moment or event may replay vividly whenever images, sounds, smells or feelings trigger it. 

EMDR therapy shows that the mind can heal from psychological trauma as the body recovers from physical trauma. 

How does it work?

In EMDR Therapy, the patient focuses on a traumatic memory while focusing on an external stimulus directed by the therapist. The most commonly used stimulus is therapist directed lateral eye movements (using their hand or a light), but other stimuli include sounds and tapping. 

The idea is that by focusing on the memory and eye movements simultaneously, the patient’s brain can process and store the memory safely. Research suggests that EMDR is  effective because the brain has more work to do (concentrating on another task while processing the distressing memory); as it is not giving its full attention to processing the memory, it starts to become less vivid. Thus, the person is able to distance themselves from the memory and then begin to remember the event in a more manageable way. 

EMDR has eight phases (although the exact method may vary for each therapist):

1. History and treatment planning: the patient and therapist talk about trauma and symptoms; the therapist will then create a plan based on the individual patient
2. Preparation: the therapist will brief the patient on what EMDR is and what to expect from the process
3. Assessment: the therapist will assess the patient and the target of the therapy
4. Desensitisation: eye movements are involved while working through the patient’s trauma
5. Installation: replacing negative beliefs/thoughts with positive ones
6. Body scan: this involves revisiting the patient’s main trauma to see whether the patient feels the same tension and feelings in their body as they did at the start of the process
7. Closure: at the end of every phase, the therapist helps the patient learn how to deal with new feelings or memories that may arise and what to expect from the next session
8. Re-evaluation: at the beginning of each session, the patient and therapist look at progress and targets

What is EMDR useful for?

EMDR is best known for treating PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), but it can also help with a range of mental health conditions including depression and anxiety, phobias and chronic pain. Some examples are people that are struggling to recover after having witnessed or experienced an event like a car accident, violent crime, sexual abuse, bullying and loss.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many people may experience PTSD, anxiety and depression linked to these events, whether they have themselves experienced an illness with the disease or anxiety related to isolation, or if someone close to them has fallen ill with coronavirus. If you are struggling with any of these issues, please speak with a doctor or therapist to get help. 

How successful is it?

EMDR therapy can be very effective and long-lasting. It can help to decrease PTSD symptoms, help a patient cope with panic attacks, heal addictions and help a patient to recover after past trauma. 

The majority of participants have seen positive outcomes after 6-12 sessions and in some studies, up to 90% of trauma survivors appeared to have no PTSD symptoms after three sessions. (Please note that people who have experienced several traumatic events, neglect or abuse as children will usually need more sessions than this.)

Here at Breathe, we offer EMDR therapy as one of our mental health treatments. To learn more about EMDR therapy at Breathe please click here.

If you are struggling, reach out. We’re always here to help and we believe that recovery is possible. ?