Supporting the nervous system to process and recover from trauma and distress
Traumatic and stressful experiences get stored in both the body and brain.
EMDR (short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one way of accessing and supporting the brain and body to process and move on from difficult memories, images, thoughts, emotions and body sensations.
EMDR can be beneficial for people dealing with:
trauma: childhood trauma, violence, accidents or loss
anxiety and depression symptoms
chronic pain/illness
distressing life experiences
and more
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR is a a structured therapy that guides clinicians and clients through the process of building resources and skills to support regulation and function, as well as accessing and processing memories.
Unlike some other talk therapies, EMDR does not require a lot of talking in order to be effective. This can make it more accessible to people who don’t want to discuss details or may have difficulty with language barriers.
EMDR works through accessing a distressing or traumatic memory while simultaneously engaging in stimulation of the left and right side of the brain. Originally, this bilateral stimulation was done via eye movements, hence the name. However, it is often done with stimulating or touching the right and left side of the body at a set speed.
EMDR is an evidenced based approach which has been highly researched and recommended as a therapeutic approach to support people dealing with trauma by prominent organizations such as the World Health Organization and many health care practitioners.
What does EMDR therapy look like?
While EMDR is a structured therapy, it will be delivered at a pace that is tailored to meet your needs and life circumstances.
The bilateral stimulation (stimulation of the right and left side of the brain/body) is an important part of EMDR therapy and we’ll work together to determine what is the best method of stimulation for you. This can be through sound, tapping your body, eye movement. All of which can be done online!
I’ll work with you collaboratively to develop a plan, build resources and skills to support you to process trauma or distress in session and function more fully in your every day life.