What is EMDR?
EMDR is a "transformational therapy" - Laurel Parnell
First identified and then developed by Francine Shapiro in the 1950s, EMDR is now accepted as a treatment of choice for both minor and major trauma. It is essentially a therapeutic intervention using bilateral stimulation to facilitate processing, of incompletely processed and therefore partly understood life events. It is accepted knowledge that the psychological blocking of emotions relating to overwhelming or threatening events is a natural protective mechanism. This happens either because, at the time of the event, we are too immature to fully understand what is happening or because to fully process the event would cause unmanageable emotional trauma. EMDR follows a specific protocol and requires the competent trained practitioner to monitor and manage the process sensitively. EMDR gives you access to insights and understandings which helps you to overcome fears and to banish harmful beliefs about yourself and change unhelpful behaviour patterns. It is therefore a process which enables you to heal yourself. When appropriate and with the client's consent, Maureen integrates EMDR into her therapeutic work . If your presenting issues would benefit from EMDR I will talk to you about the process and give you literature to read which explains the process in greater depth. EMDR sessions are normally an hour and a half in duration.
EMDR is the treatment of choice for Post Traumatic Stress and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Range of Mental Health Issues Treated With EMDR
• Single, multiple, ongoing, and complex trauma
• Anxiety disorders including phobias, OCD, and panic disorder
• Traumatic loss, bereavement, and grief
• Recent alarming events and acute trauma
• Depression
• Pain management
• Somatoform disorder
• Body dysmorphic disorder
• Performance enhancement
• Addictions and substance misuse
• Dissociative disorders