EMDR Trauma Therapy

---

 EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing) is recognised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical  Excellence (NICE) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a treatment  for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Unlike most forms of talk  therapy, EMDR focuses less on the traumatic event itself and more on the  disturbing emotions and symptoms that result from the experience. 

The therapy involves identifying unprocessed traumatic or  distressing experiences which continue to drive an individual’s  psychological disturbance. The client is asked to recall the worst  aspect of the memory together with the accompanying problematic thoughts  and associated bodily sensations. Simultaneously the client is directed  to move their eyes from side to side, or employ another form of  bilateral stimulation (BLS). This desensitises the client to the  distressing memory, and more importantly allows them to process it. The  associated symptoms become more adaptive and leads to long-lasting  relief. 

EMDR has also been shown to be effective in helping other areas of  difficulty such as, anxiety, phobias, addiction and complicated grief.