Why We Love EMDR Therapy!
This blog has been prepared for you by EMDR Master Class-trained registered psychologist and psychosexual therapist, and Carla Jones.
We genuinely love EMDR! Let me tell you why…
First, what is EMDR? Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a trauma-focused, evidence-based modality that helps the brain process and integrate distressing memories, emotions, and experiences that have become “stuck.” Rather than having to relive traumatic events in detail, EMDR uses structured protocols to support the nervous system in safely reprocessing difficult experiences. This generally includes bilateral stimulation, meaning that we stimulate both hemispheres of the brain by moving your eyes around (you may have seen some “finger waggling” if you’ve ever looked up EMDR therapy!), getting you to do a butterfly tap or tap both of your knees, or listen to special music or clicks through headphones, amongst many other ways. Through taxing the working memory at the same time of calling to mind past events or present triggers, we can reduce the emotional intensity of these experiences, shift negative beliefs, and develop healthier coping strategies. All while staying present and supported in the therapeutic relationship!
Why I think EMDR is pretty cool!
I’ve seen people with a broad range of experiences benefit from having EMDR. Whether it’s the main course of treatment, or a tool used to work on a specific problem, EMDR can be used in many creative ways and across plenty of different presentations such as trauma, rejection sensitivity, phobias and fears, and so much more. I also like that it honours individual differences and allows each brain to process at whatever pace it needs to, in whatever way feels best for it.
This more intuitive process means that folks have more ownership over their healing – simply because their brain is doing the heavy lifting! I also like as a clinician that it’s so different from talk therapy. Often I see people who have done talk therapy for years and they are ready for something different. In these moments I’ll often suggest EMDR (or something else that’s also experiential).
What it’s like to get EMDR at Haven.
Most Haven clinicians have some kind of training in EMDR, and are supported to learn from Basic Training up to Master Class level and beyond. It’s something we talk about and read about often, as well as practice frequently. But at the crux of our practice, we genuinely care about making EMDR accessible to everyone and are not afraid to get creative.
This means that if you can’t “picture” something, we don’t stop there! It means that we can use lots of different resourcing tools above and beyond the basics to keep you safe. It means that we are open to honouring what it is that a client’s body and brain needs while processing!
Personally, I’m a big fan of using music in my sessions if this is something that connects for people, whether that be in the development of a resource, to help with processing, or to have a dance party and shake off the big emotions at the end of a session!
But also, and perhaps a biggie, is that we know when EMDR is not appropriate. We know that it’s not always the right moment for this kind of work, or that something else could be more effective, and we will never force someone to use this modality (don’t worry, we have plenty of other tricks up our sleeves!). Whilst we think EMDR is great, no modality is perfective or a coverall solution. So if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about EMDR, let us know! If you’re a current client, you can talk to your clinician, otherwise get in touch here.
