What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a clinical treatment that has successfully helped over a million individuals and is becoming a more popular and desired form of treatment, its efficacy has been established by rigorous research. There are now nineteen controlled studies into EMDR making it the most thoroughly researched therapy method used in the treatment of trauma. For more information, visit www.emdr-europe.org and www.emdr.org. EDMR is also recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

EMDR is used for the treatment of PTSD, and has also been successfully used to treat:

• anxiety and panic attacks

• depression

• stress

• phobias

• sleep problems

• complicated grief

• addictions

• pain relief, phantom limb pain

• self-esteem and performance anxiety

EMDR utilizes the natural healing ability of your body. After a thorough assessment, clients will be asked specific questions about a particular disturbing memory. Eye movements, similar to those during REM sleep, will be recreated simply by doing bilateral stimulation with either hand movements, the use of tappers, or by doing something called the butterfly hug (crossing your arms and tapping your shoulders to induce bilateral stimulation, this method is used for virtual EMDR visits). You will then be asked to report back on the experiences you have had during each of these sets of eye movements.

Experiences during a session may include changes in thoughts, images and feelings. With repeated sets of eye movements, the memory tends to change in such a way that it loses its painful intensity and simply becomes a neutral memory of an event in the past. Other associated memories may also heal simultaneously. This linking of related memories can lead to a dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of your life.