When an individual is traumatised, he/she may experience such strong emotions that their brain becomes overwhelmed. The brain consequently is unable to cope with, or process information as it usually does. Distressing experiences become ‘frozen in time’. Such events are stored in the brain in their original ‘raw’ form and can then be repeatedly remembered as ‘action replays’, or intrusive memories. As a consequence, the person repeatedly relives the original unpleasant event/s. Remembering in this way may feel as bad as experiencing it the first time because the images, sounds, smells, and feelings don’t change or process. Such memories have a lasting negative effect on the way a person sees themselves, the world and other people. It can have a profoundly negative effect on all aspects of their lives.

The EMDR therapist guides the client through a standardised protocol whilst using bilateral stimulation. This means the client engages a dual process by simultaneously attending to disturbing material whilst focusing on a therapist-directed external stimulus ( e.g. eye movements or tapping). Whilst the exact mechanisms are unknown, EMDR is understood to access the memory network where traumatic memories are dysfunctionally stored and enables new, adaptive associations to be made. EMDR thus aims to reduce subjective distress and strengthen adaptive beliefs related to the traumatic experience.

Whilst EMDR therapists can treat many cases of single event PTSD in 5-12 sessions, it is often more complex and may require much longer work where EMDR is combined with talking therapy over a period of months and sometimes years. So, whilst EMDR is both a powerful and effective therapeutic tool, it is not a magic wand; but even in the most complex presentations, EMDR can often provide some relief or alleviation through resourcing and other grounding techniques.

A wealth of research has been conducted demonstrating the benefits of EMDR therapy in treating psychological trauma arising from experiences as diverse as war related experiences, childhood abuse or neglect, natural disaster, assault, road traffic accidents and workplace accidents.

Finally, whilst EMDR was initially developed in 1989 to treat PTSD, it is now used to treat a range of conditions including depression, anxiety, phobias, OCD, attachment disorders, chronic pain, acute stress and more. The EMDR field is full of therapists applying this ground-breaking technique to an ever-wider range of presentations with exciting and encouraging results