What is EMDR?
USED for the Treatment of Depression & Anxiety
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and is a method of trauma therapy developed in California between 1987 and 1991, by clinical psychologist Dr Francine Shapiro.
EMDR has been successfully used as a method of trauma therapy since the mid-1990s. EMDR works with bilateral stimulation, i.e. with both brain hemispheres, primarily through eye movements, and increasingly with other sensory stimulation.
This method is well suited for use in combination with established therapy models (for example, speech therapy, behavioural therapy, NLP, in-depth psychotherapy. EMDR is also increasingly being used in training, counselling and coaching.
After only a few sessions, EMDR produces noticeable changes with regards to cognition, emotions and body experience. There are also numerous studies and first-hand accounts of the positive effects of EMDR regarding the processing of stress-related individual experiences. Cognitive processing of complex or multiple traumas lasts longer, of cours\ e, but with EMDR this processing time is considerably shorter than with other established methods of psychotherapy.
Scientific studies have repeatedly confirmed the high level of efficacy and lasting results of this method of therapy. Since 2006 the effectiveness of EMDR in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has received worldwide recognition. Originally developed and tested for the processing of traumatic experiences in war veterans, its various applications have
How Does EMDR Work?
EMDR influences the neural pathways in the brain. Through bilateral stimulation both brain hemispheres are activated and synchronised in relation to a traumatic event.
Traumatic experiences are anchored in a blocked or inadequately integrated memory network in the brain. The memories of those events are stored as they were experienced at the time of the event, "frozen in time", so to speak.
EMDR aims to reprocess these "frozen" memories with the goal of noticeable and visible relief on a physical, emotional and sensory level. EMDR is an active and intensive 8-stage process, supported by therapy, and can last several sessions. A client's traumatic event is targeted and worked through in individual steps.
Clients are asked to assume an observing role. Their attention is partly focussed on external sensory stimuli (bilateral stimulation); at the same time, the patient also partly concentrates internally, focussing on the traumatic event. The observing role creates emotional distance between the client and the experience and facilitates a cognitive and emotional re-evaluation.
Alongside guided eye movements, acoustic and tactile stimulation are also employed to increase the efficacy of the work by combining multiple senses.
EMDR, together with drawing on a clients internal resources, causes neural changes and in doing so initiates development and self-healing processes. EMDR not only facilitates an accelerated processing of traumatic memory fragments, but also allows cognitive restructuring, e.g. a re-evaluation of the experience, as well as a changed attitude regarding oneself and one's own resources.
Indications for EMDR :-
Today, the areas of application for EMDR are widespread. Bearing in mind that this method was originally developed in the 1980s for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in war veterans, it may surprise many to learn in just how many other areas EMDR can be successfully implemented.
The most important areas of application are as follows:
- 1. Traumatic experiences and related outcomes e.g.:
- 2. Post-traumatic stress disorder (e.g. from an accident, sexual assault, death of a loved one, separation, loss of employment, retirement, bullying)
- 3. Fear and panic attacks
- 4. Phobias
- 5. Sleeping disorders
- 6. Addiction
- 7. Pain syndromes
Allergies
- 1. Psychosomatic complaints
- 2. Stress management
- 3. Burnout prevention
- 4. Self-esteem issues
- 5. Performance blocks
- 6. Exam nerves
