What is Emdr therapy?

EMDR therapy, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is one of the forms of psychotherapy used to treat trauma. In Polish, we translate the name of the therapy as “eye movement desensitization and processing therapy”. If you or someone close to you suffers from trauma, be sure to check what EMDR therapy is all about. If you want to consult the best therapist for emdr therapy in London then City Psychological Services is the best option. 

Impact of trauma on the psyche

Painful experiences from the past always leave a mark on our psyche. In most cases, we are able to deal with them, tame the emotions associated with them and, with time, distance ourselves from the whole event. Sometimes, however, an event is so strong emotionally and/or physically that the memory of it is “frozen”. EMDR therapy aims to help change this.

Our brain was unable to process this experience, and the emotions associated with it are blocked to activate unexpectedly under the influence of neutral stimuli (e.g. smell or sound). Despite the passage of years, recalling a given event is associated with strong emotions and stress. For this reason, the experience is not just a memory for us, but an event that is relived over and over again. Trauma has serious emotional (including anxiety) and physiological (including apathy, sleep problems, various diseases) consequences. In order to be able to get used to the past, it is necessary to undergo therapy.

An effective form of psychotherapy

EMDR is a therapy developed by American psychologist Francine Shapiro in 1987 . She has noticed that when she is under severe stress, rapid and repetitive eye movements can reduce the level of anxiety that accompanies her. After more than 30 years, EMDR is one of the most widely used forms of psychotherapy in the US. At the same time, it is gaining more and more popularity in Europe, including Poland. EMDR therapy for the treatment of trauma is recommended by, among others, World Health Organization and American Psychiatric Association . Its effectiveness is confirmed not only by numerous clinical studies, but also by patients who managed to cope with trauma after past events.

What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR therapy aims to change our perception of past events so that they are memories for us, not an ongoing experience. For this purpose, the process of information processing by the brain is used. The therapist stimulates the patient’s senses (usually eye movements) to trigger the information processing process. This allows blocked emotions and events to be reprocessed and given new meaning.

What does EMDR therapy look like in practice?

The patient is properly prepared for therapy so that recalling painful memories and emotions related to them takes place in a safe way . During the session, the patient recalls the traumatic events, focuses on the emotions, thoughts and signals from the body that accompany him. At the same time, the therapist alternately stimulates both hemispheres of the patient’s brain. Typically, the patient follows the therapist’s hand with his or her eyes, who makes swinging movements with the hand, it is also possible to use tactile or acoustic stimuli. During the session, the patient, although he recalls the memory of painful experiences, over time feels relief, and the stress associated with them subsides or becomes less. The patient processes a given experience from the past and connects it with current experiences .This makes it possible to give traumatic events a new, safer meaning.

EMDR therapy – for whom?

EMDR therapy is recommended for people who suffer from trauma related to a past event, such as physical and psychological violence, rape, accident, abandonment by a caregiver in childhood . This form of psychotherapy works well not only in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , but also depression various types of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, phobias. EMDR is also used in the therapy of people working in uniformed and emergency services. The decision to start EMDR therapy rests with the doctor. Contraindications to therapy include: epilepsy or a tendency to faint. The duration of EMDR therapy depends on the problem the patient is facing. Some people are helped by a few sessions, in other cases treatment can take much longer. A single session usually lasts from 50 to 90 minutes.

EMDR therapy focuses on how memories are stored in the brain and aims to process them efficiently to lead to the disappearance of the symptoms that currently affect the patient.

EMDR focuses on a treatment plan and includes 8 phases. The treatment plan includes the approach of some past events that cause dysfunctions, the present circumstances that produce distress under the action of some triggering factors, but also the incorporation of models for the future that allow the patient to acquire new skills useful for good functioning.

At the beginning, the patient’s history is observed and it will be evaluated if it is appropriate to start EMDR or if we will continue with classical therapy.

This type of therapy includes bilateral stimulation to reduce distress and negative beliefs related to past events that currently still have a negative impact on mental health.

Here are the issues where EMDR therapy can help:

• anxiety
• panic attack
• traumatic memories
• depression
• loss
• dependencies
• anger
• phobia
• social anxiety
• relationship problems
• low self-esteem
• trust issues
• performance anxiety

The work with EMDR is done individually, even if the problems that arise can be related to the couple. For couples therapy, you can consult the rates here.

Advantages of EMDR therapy:

• in some cases it can be a faster solution than classical therapy
• it can be done both face to face and online
• there are many studies that demonstrate its effectiveness
• although eye movements are the most effective, there are other bilateral stimulation movements that can be used