Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EDMR) is a powerful therapy that is used to process memories of trauma and other adverse life experiences to create a more healthy intetration of that experience.

Our brains have a clever system which is geared to process information into a good state of mental health. What we experience is (ideally) processed, learned from and then integrated and available for future use.

However, sometimes these experiences (which turn into memories) are not processed successfully. They are held in the nervous system and when present day stimuli elicit the same affect as the earlier memory, you can experience them in the same way as those earlier events. The lack of integration can mean that you are reacting in a way consistent with those earlier experiences. If you imagine that your memory stems from when you were a young child - perhaps you experienced fear or a lack of control - as an adult you will still experience in the same way as the child, which is not appropriate for your stage in life, or your environment.

EMDR works by stimulating both hemispheres of the brain at the same time to aid the successful processing and integration of those memories to more appropriate and beneficial behaviour.

An EMDR treatment plan will typically start with history taking and working together to identify the memories that have caused the current issues. We’ll then work through the processing sessions, which can often reveal linked experiences that are also supporting negative behaviour or thought patterns. This usually takes a few sessions, depending on your individual circumstances.

EMDR is incredibly effective and is often used with ex military or service personnel to help with symptoms of PTSD. But, it is beneficial for anyone. Trauma can be experienced at any time and any level but can have a lasting, and sometimes, unknown affect for many years after. If you don’t understand why you react think or behave in a certain way in certain situations, it could be that your memories are driving maladaptive responses without you even noticing.