I'm a strong advocate of EMDR Therapy because I found it enormously helpful in processing my own trauma's relating to childhood and later traumatic events in adulthood. Being on the other side of the therapist chair as a client gave me a unique perspective on what this EMDR therapy is like. On the face of it, EMDR Therapy does sound like a very strange therapy and I was initially skeptical - "how can tapping possibly help?!" was one of the many thoughts that ran through my mind. But...it worked and I found the experience to be so powerfully healing that I chose to train in EMDR therapy so that I could offer this to others. Many years later, I'm now an accredited EMDR Europe Practitioner and a consultant in training (CiT)which means I have demonstrated a significant level of experience and expertise in the practice of EMDR. I also attend monthly EMDR supervision to further refine my skills. So, what is EMDR all about then? Lets delve deeper into this approach.

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EMDR is a powerful psychological treatment method that was developed by an American clinical psychologist, Dr Francine Shapiro, in the 1980s. Since then a wealth of research has been conducted demonstrating its benefits in treating psychological trauma arising from experiences as diverse as war related experiences, sexual and/or physical abuse, natural disaster, assault, surgical trauma, road traffic accidents and workplace accidents.
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Is EMDR only for trauma?

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No! since its original development, EMDR is also increasingly used to help individuals with other issues such as anxiety, depression, low-self esteem, phobias and sports performance.

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How does EMDR work?

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When a person is involved in a distressing event, they may feel overwhelmed and their brain may be unable to process the information like a normal memory. The distressing memory seems to become frozen on a neurological level. When a person recalls the distressing memory, the person can re-experience what they saw, heard, smelt, tasted or felt, and this can be quite intense.

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Sometimes the memories are so distressing, the person tries to avoid thinking about the distressing event to avoid experiencing the distressing feelings. Some find that the distressing memories come to mind when something reminds them of the distressing event, or sometimes the memories just seem to just pop into mind.

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The alternating left-right stimulation of the brain with eye movements, sounds or taps during EMDR, seems to stimulate the frozen or blocked information processing system. In the process, the distressing memories seem to lose their intensity, so that the memories are less distressing and seem more like 'ordinary' memories. The effect is believed to be similar to that which occurs naturally during REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) when your eyes rapidly move from side to side.

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EMDR helps reduce the distress of all the different kinds of memories, whether it was what you saw, heard, smelt, tasted, felt or thought.

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What will I feel like after the session?

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During your EMDR session a lot of memories may come to mind and people find that after the session they may think about these memories. If these memories are distressing, then you may feel more upset or tired for a couple of days after the session. During this time it is recommended that you take care of yourself and use the relaxation and coping techniques that you developed with your therapist prior to the EMDR therapy sessions. As the distress decreases with EMDR, people report feeling a relief. At the end of EMDR therapy, many people report feeling no distress at all when recalling a distressing event.

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Things to be mindful of during EMDR Therapy

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EMDR Therapy can sometimes make people feel worse initially because they are confronting things they haven’t looked at for a long time or it is painful. This can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks but you will begin to feel better in time.

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Common symptoms are:
• strong emotional fluctuations
• increased recall of the trauma or distressing event
• vivid dreams
• a physical stress response e.g. headache

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If you have experienced multiple trauma’s or relational difficulties stemming from childhood, EMDR therapy tends to takes longer in these cases. You can read more here
As with all talking therapies, a positive outcome cannot be 100% guaranteed. It is important to let your therapist know, as soon as possible, if you do not feel that you have improved, or if things have become worse following therapy. This will allow your therapist to further tailor and adjust the treatment path to suit.

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What are the eight phases of EMDR?

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ONE: History & Treatment Planning
A full history is taken so that the therapist can develop a good understanding of you and your life experiences. During this phase, we also identify and agree on what traumatic experiences will be worked on and processed using EMDR.

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TWO: Preparation & Stabilisation
The process of EMDR will be explained in more detail so that you understand how it works and what to expect. You will also be taught a range of grounding skills and relaxation techniques so that you can cope with the emotions associated with EMDR processing. This is an important stage and not one to be skipped or rushed.

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THREE: Assessment
We will identify and assess the “target” traumatic event to be processed. The target consists of a specific memory/event along with the associated image, negative and positive beliefs, emotions and bodily sensations. We will also get a sense of how much the memory bothers you by using subjective units of distress (SUDS). For those who have multiple traumatic experiences, there will be multiple assessment phases to identify and assess the “target” so stage three is repeated often.

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FOUR: Desensitisation
We will reprocess the traumatic event. You will be asked to focus on the “target” (the traumatic memory) while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation (BLS) through the use of eye movements, taps, or sounds. You will be asked to allow all thoughts, images, feelings and sensations to emerge and this process continues until the memory becomes less distressing (e.g. SUDS reach a 1 or 0) and the associated negative beliefs diminish. Sometimes the target memory takes more than one session to process.

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FIVE: Installation
We use BLS to strengthen the positive belief identified in the assessment phase. This process continues until the positive belief feels completely true.

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SIX: Body Scan
You will be asked to focus on the target memory and scan your entire body for any residual tension or distress. If any negative sensations are detected, additional BLS processing is done until the body feels calm.

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SEVEN: Closure
The processing is complete when the SUDS are 1 or 0 and there is no residual tension or distress in your body. If the processing is incomplete then the focus is on closing the session down safely. We do this using stabilisation to contain the experience and orienting you so that you can continue with your day.

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EIGHT: Re-evaluation
This happens at the start of the next session where we check in with the memory again to see if anything new has come up and how you feel about it now. This helps us decide what to do next with the processing i.e. identify a new target to work on or revisit the memory and continue processing it.

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SUMMARY
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I hope this has been helpful to read. If you have any further questions or want to book an appointment for EMDR Therapy in Hertford with Dr Maria Tucknott then please do not hesitate to contact me. I offer EMDR Therapy in-person from my consulting room in Hertford and online across the UK.