What is EMDR? (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)

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When a person is involved in a distressing event, they may feel overwhelmed and their brain may be unable to process the information in the usual way. The distressing memory becomes frozen on a neurological level. When a person recalls the distressing memory, they can re-experience what they saw, heard, smelt, tasted, thought or felt, and this can be quite intense. Some find that the distressing memories come to mind when something reminds them of the event, or sometimes the memories seem to  pop into mind without warning.

 

The alternating left-right stimulation of the brain with eye movements, sounds or taps during EMDR, seems to stimulate the frozen or blocked information processing system. In the process the memories lose their intensity, they become less distressing and more like ‘ordinary’ memories. The effect is believed to be similar to that which occurs naturally during REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement).  EMDR helps reduce the distress of all the different kinds of memories, whether it is images, sounds, smells, tastes, physical sensations, thoughts or beliefs. 

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EMDR has been effectively used to treat concerns such as: anxiety, depression, phobias, military combat trauma, PTSD and chronic pain and is a NICE recommended treatment for trauma.

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Useful Links

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