What is EMDR therapy?
At Turning Tides Psychology, we offer EMDR therapy for several different mental health conditions including trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic, phobias, anxiety and depression.
EMDR therapy works by processing traumatic memories which may have not been processed properly at the time of the event due to the brain being overloaded with information.
When this happens the natural healing by the brain becomes blocked and the information becomes stored in a ‘raw’ format with no verbal narrative. This means the memory may be stored in the form of an image, emotion, belief or body sensation. Once something similar is experienced in the present it can reactivate the memory network. For example, most people can relate to certain smells triggering memories from the past.
EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation (BLS) (this means stimulating the brain in an alternate fashion left and right) to help reprocess the memory. This means that it no longer has a triggering effect in the present. This can be done in various ways including using eye movements, taps or sounds.
When EMDR therapy has been successful the person starts to see the situation from a different perspective and create new meaning, which may have been blocked at the time. This helps the individual to move forward and regain control of their life.