How does EMDR help with memories?
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a relatively new type of psychotherapy. However eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing is growing in popularity. It can be used as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. For people who have experienced military combat or other types of trauma that are stressful to handle on their own. This treatment is given by our professionals skilled at this form of therapy.
What can EMDR treat?
Panic Attacks
Anxiety
Phobias
Eating disorders
Addictions
PTSD
Chronic Illness
Grief and loss
Sleep disturbance
Other traumatic events
What happens during a session of EMDR?
When you dream, your eyes move from side to side and it is similar with EMDR. With this technique the therapist moves a person’s eyes back-and forth while they focus on an image or memory that causes distress. This will include the emotions and bodily sensations that go along with the memory. During the sessions we may address the overall impact of the trauma on your life.
events from the past that create problems
present situations that cause distress
key skills or behaviours to learn for future well-being
How does EMDR help with traumatic memories?
EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. EMDR therapy helps clients process memories from distressing events. Allowing ones’ body to normally function again because you no longer feel “frozen” in that moment.
The fight, flight or freeze response is a natural instinctive way for humans to respond when they are faced with an extreme threat. However these responses can become overwhelming. The responses can cause distress in some people. Your brain can begin remembering the event without resolution which may lead towards mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
What are the results of EMDR?
EMDR is a powerful technique that can help people overcome the negative effects of their past. Before each treatment, you will be asked to rate how distressed or unhappy with life- events you are. The idea behind EMDR treatments centres around weakening the minds distress signals. So they have less power over us when dealing within everyday life.