Traumatic memories and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)

For free initial consultation
or to book a session ring Roger on 01452 381954 or 07947507553
or call Gloucester Natural Therapies Clinic on 01452 505550 or Bishops Cleeve Natural Health Centre on 01242 678765

'All post traumatic stress disorder sufferers should be offered a course of trauma-focused therapy (CBT or EMDR)'
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guideline, March 2005

'EMDR is an effective treatment'
United States Department of Veterans Affairs

EMDR is a treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic memories. When a disturbing event occurs, it can get locked in the memory with the original pictures, sounds, thoughts, feelings and body sensations.

Flashbacks to the incident often occur, as do nightmares. Sufferers experience heightened anxiety and a desire to avoid situations or people who may be associated with the incident in some way.

Sometimes people use alcohol or street drugs to try to dull the feelings of distress and images. Major traumas include such things as road traffic accidents, wars, assaults, rape and torture.

Smaller traumas can be burned into our memories in a similar way.

Mature adults will still flush hot or cold as they remember an incident of deep embarrassment from school years. That moment of humiliation, that telling-off can be remembered for a lifetime. It goes on influencing our thoughts and behaviour. During a lifetime, we experience many disturbing events.

Most of these will be processed spontaneously by our brains. The memory comes to be seen as a distant event. It is recalled without the emotional content it once had. Much of this processing is believed to occur during dream sleep during which rapid eye movements can be seen.

Occasionally, however, this processing does not occur. EMDR stimulates the brain to begin its natural sequence. Single trauma victims will usually respond to 3-6 sessions of EMDR.

An EMDR session is usually 90 minutes long.