EMDR Therapy in London

Have you had a traumatic experience or a series of difficult experiences that have clouded your life? Do you live in a fog, or are you always on the lookout for danger? Do you suffer from depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem? It is possible to benefit from EMDR. 

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What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, is a unique and interactive brain training therapy that is evidence-based and approved by both the NHS and NICE. 

Known as ‘rapid eye movement therapy,’ it works specifically to liberate you from the emotional burden of traumatic experiences, leaving you resilient. 

Shapiro (1989a, 1989b) originally developed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. According to Shapiro’s (2001) Adaptive Information Processing model, EMDR therapy facilitates the accessing and processing of traumatic memories and other adverse life experiences in order to facilitate their adaptive resolution. With EMDR therapy, affective distress is relieved, negative beliefs are reformulated, and physiological arousal is reduced. The client attends to emotionally disturbing material in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus during EMDR therapy. In addition to therapist-directed lateral eye movements, other external stimuli such as hand-tapping and audio stimulation are often used (Shapiro, 1991). According to Shapiro (1995, 2001), EMDR therapy facilitates the accessing of the traumatic memory network, enhancing information processing and establishing new associations between the traumatic memory and more adaptive memories. As a result of these new associations, information is processed more effectively, new learning occurs, emotional distress is eliminated, and cognitive insights are developed. There are three components to EMDR therapy: (1) the past events that led to dysfunction are processed, forging new associations with adaptive information; (2) the current circumstances that elicit distress are targeted, and internal and external triggers are desensitized; (3) imagining future events is incorporated to help the client develop adaptive skills.

FOR LAYPEOPLE

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that helps people heal from the symptoms and emotional distress caused by disturbing life experiences.  EMDR therapy has been shown to provide benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to achieve. A long healing process is a common assumption when it comes to severe emotional pain.  As with physical trauma, EMDR therapy shows that the mind can heal from psychological trauma.  Your body closes the wound when you cut your hand.  When a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain.  Healing resumes after the block is removed.  The EMDR therapy demonstrates that mental processes follow a similar pattern.  Mental health is a natural outcome of the brain’s information processing system.  Disturbing events can block the system and cause an emotional wound to fester and cause intense suffering if it is blocked or imbalanced.  Healing resumes after the block is removed.  In EMDR therapy training sessions, clinicians learn detailed protocols and procedures that help clients activate their natural healing abilities.

How does eye movement therapy work?  

As you talk about difficult past events, EMDR stimulates your brain with sensory input. You can do this by following a light or moving pencil with your eyes, or listening to alternating beeps. It may sound strange, but research suggests that these types of distractions loosen negative ‘stuck’ memories and their emotional charge. As a result, memories can be reregistered as less vivid, or ‘desensitized’. 

EMDR can be effective even if you don’t want to discuss your past, because you don’t have to go into great detail about it. 

EMDR therapy for PTSD, anxiety, and other issues

The following conditions are thought to be helped by EMDR treatment:

• anger issues 
• anxiety and depression
• difficult memories
• emotional numbness 
• fears and phobias
• traumatic incidents and accidents
• work-related trauma 
• PTSD and complex PTSD.

Does EMDR have side effects? 

Are you concerned about the dangers of EMDR therapy? Talk therapy can leave you feeling emotionally drained and vulnerable afterward. If you have shared a long-held secret with a friend, then you might need some time to yourself.  Other than that, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing are completely safe. 

The benefits of EMDR counselling 

The following are some of the benefits of eye movement desensitization therapy: 

• A feeling of energy and less numbness is felt 
• The ability to think clearly and focus better 
• Feel safer by stopping scanning for danger all the time 
• Don’t let the past haunt you
• Prepare for future challenges by building resilience 
• Make yourself feel good about yourself
• You should manage situations rather than hide from them 
• Once again, I feel hopeful about the future. 

EMDR at Expert Therapy London

There is no doubt that coming to therapy requires courage. By connecting you with highly trained, experienced psychotherapists and counselling psychologists, we ensure you are in excellent hands.

Is it time for hope to return? 

Would you like to learn more about PTSD therapy? Are you interested in EMDR for anxiety, depression, or other issues?  Call us now to make an appointment with an expert EMDR therapist in London or for EMDR online. Our online booking form is also available for you to register your interest. 

Further reading on EMDR 

• What is EMDR Therapy, and Can it Help You?
• What is Rapid Eye Movement Therapy Like? A Case Study