EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
As a trauma-informed therapist I have trained in a number of effective trauma therapies and memory reprocessing techniques. I have found, however, EMDR to be the most effective and efficient to date for treating symptoms of PTSD and helping people recover from many other issues including anxiety disorders, complex trauma, complicated grief, depression, panic attacks, phobias and negative or life limiting core beliefs.
In a short period of time EMDR can help you experience all the benefits that psychotherapy has to offer that otherwise might take years to make a difference.
How Does it Work?
The rapid eye movements experienced in EMDR mimic the movements of our eyes during REM sleep. This is the time when our day events and emotional material is processed during sleep, often making us feel better the next day. However, if the experience during waking hours is traumatic the brain’s information processing system stores the memory in a frozen form, or ‘frozen in time’, resulting in repeating negative patterns of thinking, behaving and relating, or PTSD. Traumatic memories then fail to integrate into the person’s life experience and self-concept. This distressing material gets trapped and prevents healing from taking place. EMDR therapy is an inherently natural therapy which kick-starts the brain’s natural information processing system to work through distressing material and reprocess the traumatic memories.