EMDR
What is EMDR?
EMDR, or ‘Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing’ is a complex and powerful therapy. In fact, it is the only therapeutic treatment recommended for treatment of trauma issues by NICE (the National Institute for Clinical excellence).
It was originally developed to treat a variety of post-traumatic stress disorders, including war experiences, instances of sexual and/or physical abuse or neglect in childhood, natural disasters, assault, surgical trauma, road traffic accidents and workplace accidents.
EMDR is also increasingly used to help individuals with other issues and performance anxiety, and has been found to be of benefit to children as well as adults.
How does EMDR work?
During EMDR, the therapist stimulates both the right and left sides of the brain while the client recalls a traumatic event.
As the name suggests, the activation of the left and right sides of the brain is normally - but not exclusively - achieved through eye movement. The effect is believed to be similar to that which occurs naturally during REM sleep, allowing the memory to be processed more normally, and releasing the distressing and incapacitating emotions and associations that have been attached to it.
How long does treatment last?
With relatively simple traumas, particularly those experienced in adult life, EMDR can be remarkably effective in just a few sessions.
With more “complex” or multiple traumas, treatment can take longer but the evidence suggests that EMDR is the still one of the most efficient and rapid psychotherapeutic procedures available.
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