Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) in London

There are many ways of processing traumatic memories. We are here to help you find the best way.

Our brains naturally process trauma – especially trauma from childhood – in complicated ways, sometimes even attempting to repress memories of it entirely. In order to stop this past trauma from affecting our lives, we need to reprogram our brains to deal with it differently.

What is Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Rapid Eye Movement Therapy or EMDR) is a technique which is mainly used to help victims of trauma, many of whom have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Anything from childhood sexual abuse or witnessing a death to painful memories from a break-up or dealing with dismissal from a job can be treated using EMDR. EMDR helps to dilute the negative emotions around a past trauma, preventing you from reliving the trauma with such intensity and allows you to focus more on enjoying the positive things in your life at the moment. It can also be used to treat disorders like body dysmorphia and phobias, which are less directly associated with past trauma but often have some form of a link to it.

What does an eye movement therapist do?

An eye movement therapist will first talk through the memory or memories causing you distress, identifying exactly what happened and how remembering it makes you feel. They will then use relaxation techniques to prepare you for the session before asking you to visualise the traumatic memory or memories, and then consider how it makes you feel. Using a light to direct a series of bilateral eye movements (sometimes accompanied by taps or other sounds) which are designed to affect the brain’s processing patterns, the therapist will then ask you to focus on the memory again and describe how you feel after each set of eye movements. Once you are feeling more positive, the therapist will close the session with further relaxation exercises.