Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)
During the course of your treatment at the IPTS, you may be offered eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). This information will help you understand what EMDR is and how you can benefit from this therapy.
What is EMDR?
EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy that is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
EMDR helps alleviate emotional distress and problems that result from disturbing and traumatic life experiences.
Who is EMDR for?
EMDR is a recommended treatment for individuals who experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (NICE, 2018).
EMDR can help to treat a variety of mental health difficulties, including anxiety and depression, addictions and behavioural difficulties, as it is thought that many of these problems may be rooted in some kind of difficult or traumatic life event such as bullying, abuse, a car accident, a violent crime, or the unexpected loss of a loved one.
How does EMDR work?
When a person is involved in a traumatic event, they may feel overwhelmed and their brain may be unable to fully process what is going on. The memory of the event seems to become “stuck” so that it remains very intense and vivid. The person can re-experience what they saw, heard and smelt and the full force of the distress they felt whenever the memory comes to mind (EMDR Association UK).
EMDR uses a series of bilateral stimulations (side-to-side eye movements, hand-tapping or audio sounds in alternating ears) to reprocess the memory properly so that it is no longer so intense.
EMDR also helps to desensitise the person to the emotional impact of the memory, so that they can think about the event without feeling overwhelmed (EMDR Association UK).
How effective is EMDR?
Scientific studies have shown that EMDR can significantly decrease PTSD symptoms and that this effect is long lasting (Chen et al., 2014).
Your progress throughout therapy will be closely monitored and recorded. This will help you and your therapist observe and compare your psychological wellbeing at different stages in treatment.
What is expected of me?
A willingness to engage in and commit to the therapy.