What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. EMDR is a psychological therapy. It was first discovered and developed in the 1980s by the US psychologist Dr Francine Shapiro, as a novel and breakthrough treatment for the often devastating effects of psychological trauma.
Since then, EMDR has become an established and respected therapy in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is used by an ever growing number of clinicians worldwide. It is supported by research findings which consistently demonstrated its effectiveness and efficacy.
The treatment is endorsed by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellent (NICE) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Key benefits:
Fast and effective treatment for trauma
Suitable in early intervention treatment
Internationally recognised
Although it is most well-regarded as an effective treatment for PTSD, EMDR is also suitable for treating a range of psychological disorders.
What is psychological trauma?
A psychological trauma can occur when you have experienced either a single event or long lasting or repeated events that are so overwhelming it affects your ability to cope or make sense of what happened.
Examples of traumatic events include:
Serious accidents, i.e. road traffic collision
Loss and grief
Being told you have a life threatening
(terminal) illness
Physical, emotional or sexual abuse
Neglect
Natural or man made disasters
Being taken hostage
Bullying
Everyone has different ways of responding to events. What one individual finds traumatic another person may not find distressing.
How you may react to trauma
Typical reactions that you may feel after a traumatic event include:
Constantly thinking about the event.
Images of the events keep coming into your mind
Difficulty sleeping and/or nightmares
Changes in how you feel emotionally, i.e. frightened, sad, anxious, angry
Avoiding certain situations that remind you of the event
Feeling numb, stunned, shocked or dazed and have difficulties connecting with life
around you
Denial that the event actually happened
How you may feel after a traumatic experience
It is very common to experience distress following a traumatic event. In most cases, the emotional reactions get better over the days and weeks that follow a trauma.
You may feel a wide range of emotions, including:
Anger – in relation to what happened to you and with other people involved.
Guilty – that you think you could or should have done something to prevent what happened (that you may feel you were to blame), or that you survived when others suffered or died.
Frightened – that the same event may happen again or that you feel you are unable to cope with your feelings. You may feel that you are not in control of what is going on in your life.
Helpless – that you were unable to do something about what happened.
Sad – that the trauma happened or that someone was injured or killed, especially if you knew them.
Ashamed or Embarrassed – by what had happened and that you feel you cannot tell anyone about it.
However, in some cases the effects of a trauma can be longer lasting and continue for months and even years after the event. Receiving the appropriate type of support can help you come to terms with the traumatic experience so that it does not continue to affect you for the rest of your life
What you can do
At the beginning it is a good idea to allow yourself time to adjust and come to terms with what has happened. You may need to grieve for someone who died and process what has happened to you.
It can help to find out more details of what happened and where relevant, to talk through the event with other survivors and discuss the feelings you have.
When you are ready talking through the event with a supportive family member, friend, colleague or teacher can be helpful.
Try and get back into a routine with your sleep and eating.
It is not advisable to use drugs or alcohol as a way to cope, as this can make symptoms worse.
If you identify particular times in the day that are more distressing, it could help to try and distract yourself at these times. Ideas include:
Mindfulness and breathing techniques
Listening to music
Doing exercise
Playing a game or doing a hobby
Write down what you are thinking or feeling.
What does EMDR involve?
EMDR is an eight-phase treatment method made up of the following: History taking, client preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure and reevaluation of treatment effect.