Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is used to treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a range of other common difficulties.
EMDR is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a treatment for people with PTSD. It’s an ‘evidence-based’ therapy, which means that research has shown that this kind of therapy works.
Sometimes when we experience a traumatic event, we start to feel overwhelmed. When this happens, memories of the event may not be processed in the usual way and can leave us with difficult emotions or thoughts.
EMDR is a talking therapy that's been developed to help people who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People who have PTSD may experience intrusive thoughts, memories, nightmares or flashbacks of traumatic events in their past.
EMDR helps the brain reprocess memories of the traumatic event so the negative images, emotions and physical feelings they cause have less impact.
The aim of EMDR is to allow us to begin to process the traumatic event in a natural way. The distressing memory gradually loses its intensity to then become a memory which does not trigger overwhelming emotions or thoughts.
You will be safely helped to focus on the traumatic event whilst you make side-to-side eye movements, usually by following the movement of your therapist’s finger. EMDR sessions can also use devices such as moving lights or alternating sounds.
EMDR can be a powerful and sometimes rapid treatment. You do not have to describe the traumatic event in detail and there is no homework outside of the treatment sessions.
Although you may experience distressing feelings during the sessions, you will still be in control and awake during the sessions.
EMDR sessions are weekly and typically last between 60 and 90 minutes. The number of sessions needed will depend on the specific person and an agreed length of treatment will be planned. A course of treatment can often take 8-12 sessions.
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