Feeling Free, Being Me
Psychotherapy & EMDR Therapy
TOTNES, SOUTH HAMS AND ONLINE ACROSS THE UK
Trauma & EMDR
Trauma can affect us in many different ways. Sometimes it follows a single overwhelming experience; at other times it develops through repeated or difficult experiences over a longer period. You may know exactly what is affecting you, or simply have a sense that experiences from the past continue to influence how you feel, think, respond or relate to others in the present.
I have particular experience and specialist training in working with trauma and post-traumatic stress, and a significant part of my practice is with people affected by traumatic or difficult life experiences.
My approach is integrative and tailored to you. Where appropriate, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) can be integrated into our wider therapeutic work to help process experiences that continue to cause distress.
My specialist training includes EMDR through EMDR Works and the Parnell Institute, together with further training in complex trauma, Polyvagal Theory and Lifespan Integration. I draw on this wider understanding of trauma when considering how, and when, EMDR may be helpful.
What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a psychological therapy developed to help people process distressing experiences and memories that continue to have an impact in the present.
It is best known as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). EMDR may also be helpful when difficult or traumatic experiences are contributing to anxiety, panic, upsetting images or memories, negative beliefs about yourself, or other ongoing distress.
You do not need to have a diagnosis of PTSD, or necessarily think of what happened to you as “trauma”, for us to consider whether EMDR might be appropriate.
How does EMDR work?
When something overwhelming happens, the experience may not be processed in the same way as an ordinary memory. Parts of it can remain very vivid or easily triggered, so that something happening in the present can bring back thoughts, images, emotions or bodily sensations connected with the past.
EMDR works with these memories while using bilateral stimulation, usually eye movements, although alternating taps can also be used. The aim is to support the brain’s natural information-processing system so that the memory becomes less distressing and can be experienced more as something that happened in the past rather than something that is still happening now.
EMDR does not erase memories. You remain in control throughout the process. You also do not have to give a detailed verbal account of every aspect of an experience in order to work with it.
What to expect
EMDR is more than the eye movements themselves. Before beginning any reprocessing, we spend time understanding what has brought you to therapy, what is happening in your life now and whether EMDR is the right approach for you at that point in our work.
Preparation is an important part of the process. We will make sure that you understand what we are doing and develop ways of managing distress and helping you feel grounded. The pace is collaborative and is adapted to you; there is no need to rush into working directly with difficult memories.
When we do begin reprocessing, I will help you identify the experience or memory we will work with and the thoughts, emotions and physical sensations connected with it. During sets of bilateral stimulation, I will invite you to notice what comes to mind. There are no right or wrong responses, the process unfolds differently for different people.
EMDR can sometimes bring up strong emotions, memories or sensations. We work within a therapeutic relationship in which you can pause or stop at any time, and time is allowed at the end of the session to settle before you leave.
For some people EMDR forms a relatively focused piece of work. For others, particularly where there have been repeated, early or complex experiences, it may be one part of longer-term integrative psychotherapy. We can decide together what is most appropriate for you.
Finding out whether EMDR may be right for you
You do not need to decide in advance whether you want EMDR. We can talk about what is bringing you to therapy and consider together whether EMDR, talking therapy or a combination of approaches would best meet your needs.
I offer a free initial online consultation of around 20 minutes, giving us an opportunity to meet, discuss what you are looking for and decide whether working together feels right for you.