What is EMDR therapy?

New to eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)? It’s a kind of therapy that helps people to process and recover from traumatic events. It’s often used for treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to reduce symptoms like flashbacks and hypervigilance.

EMDR is a little bit different from the kind of therapy that most of us are used to hearing about. You still talk through your thoughts and feelings, but you also use eye movements (and sometimes sounds and tapping) to stimulate your brain and process your trauma.  

Wondering how moving your eyes can ease traumatic memories? Let’s get into it…  

How does EMDR therapy work?

To understand how EMDR therapy works, first we have to understand how trauma works. Usually, our brains are great at processing information and filing away our memories. But, when we’re in a situation where we feel extremely scared or distressed, this system can shut down and temporarily stop working.

Instead of our thoughts and feelings about the event being organised and stored away so that we can move on, the memory can become ‘stuck in time’. It’s like your brain hasn’t grasped that the event is in the past and you’re no longer in danger. So, if something reminds you of the traumatic experience, like a smell or a sound, you’re taken right back to relive that moment, as if it’s happening again now.

This is where EMDR comes in; EMDR can help memories become ‘unstuck’ so that we’re able to process them and put them behind us. During an EMDR therapy session, your therapist will ask you to bring the traumatic memory to the front of your mind, then they will move their finger from side to side and ask you to follow it with your eyes.  

While your therapist talks you through the traumatic memory, the left to right motion stimulates both sides of your brain and mimics what happens when we’re in REM sleep (AKA the time when our mind sorts information and memories) so that your brain can make sense of the memory and file it away.  

This jumpstarts the healing process; your brain can now recognise that the event is behind you, and over time, the memory will become less potent and vivid, so that it’s not as distressing to think about. EMDR can’t erase traumatic memories, but it can help you to get to a point where the event has less power over you, your symptoms are more manageable and they no longer disrupt your life.

What are the benefits of EMDR therapy?

Lots of us struggle to talk about our mental health and past traumas. If you’re someone currently experiencing PTSD due to a single traumatic event and finding it difficult to open-up, you may find EMDR a comfortable choice of therapy. Although your therapist will need to understand what you’re going through to make sure that this treatment is right for you.

Does ieso offer EMDR therapy?

Yes, we do! At ieso, we offer online EMDR therapy for people with symptoms of PTSD, which is carried out over video call sessions with our experienced therapists. Once you refer, ieso’s clinical team will work with you to ensure this treatment is right for you. It may be that an alternative form of therapy will be recommended, for example, CBT.  

Our appointments are designed to fit around you; they’re super flexible, with the option to take calls after work or school hours, plus you can join sessions from the comfort of your own home. Find out more here.