Online EMDR Therapy for Trauma, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression and Addictive Behaviours

EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITISATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR)

What is EMDR therapy? What is it for?

Eye movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing or EMDR is therapy that aims to help the brain ‘unstick’ and reprocess troubling memories that, due to their traumatic nature, have not been completely processed as past experiences. Instead these keep getting activated generating symptoms, such as flashbacks, dreams, and feeling absent or excessive jumpiness. As a result of the successful EMDR work, the memory is no longer so intense. EMDR also helps desensitise you to the emotional impact of the memory, so that you can think about the event without experiencing such strong feelings.

Although originally recommended for its effectiveness with trauma/PTSD, it is growing as an effective therapeutic approach to numerous other conditions and ‘sticking points,’ like addictive behaviours, anxiety, phobias or depression.

How does EMDR work?

After practising strategies to feel safe and grounded in the present moment, the processing part of EMDR involves bilateral stimulation of the brain when thinking about a difficult memory (or feeling or thought associated with it). This can be done by looking at the therapist’s hand as it moves back and forth from side to side, or by tapping or listening to alternating sounds which occur in sequence from left to right. As this happens, for reasons believed to be connected with the biological mechanisms involved in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, internal associations arise, and the clients begin to process the memory and disturbing feelings. In successful online EMDR therapy, the meaning of painful events is transformed on an emotional level.

Work on past memories, target-present triggers, and rehearse future situations with EMDR

EMDR is an 8-phase model that moves from past to present to future. It works initially on past memories that lead to disturbing feelings. Then it targets the present triggers that activate them and, finally, it helps the person ‘rehearse’ future situations similar to the ones leading to the traumatic memory, with new feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.

The number of EMDR therapy sessions required will depend on each individual presentation. Unlike trauma-focused CBT, EMDR involves less direct exposure to the trauma. Also, it requires less between-session work.

This video may give you a more complete sense of how it works.

How can online EMDR help you?

EMDR delivered online has proven as effective as when offered in person. There are several aspects that we may need to bear in mind, such as the delivery of bilateral stimulation, but these are easily addressed with some small changes.

If you would like to discuss how online EMDR therapy may be useful to address your difficulties, please give me a call. Based in London, my online EMDR service has helped clients across the UK.

If you have any questions about how EMDR can be used to treat trauma, PTSD, anxiety, addictive behaviours, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today.