EMDR Therapy
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) Therapy
EMDR Therapy is a therapy that helps people heal from psychological trauma, traumatic events, both Trauma (big T) and trauma (small t), as well as distressing memories or recurring dreams. This also includes trauma that you witness or even missed as well as the impact of trauma on a loved one.
EMDR Therapy was developed in 1989 by psychologist Francine Shapiro. Her aim was to help her clients to process distressing memories or traumatic events from the past that still disturbed their present and help the brain resume its natural healing process. Following EMDR Therapy the clients can still access the memory of the Trauma while the negative effect diminished or may even be resolved.
How does EMDR therapy work?
EMDR therapy has the following step:
Who can benefit from EMDR therapy?
EMDR therapy can help those who have PTSD, and those who have survived acts of violence and abuse. For those who are experiencing grief and or loss, it can help those who experience anxiety, panic attacks or experience fear or have phobias, and any issue or event that causes trauma or is traumatic to see or experience.
How is EMDR different from other therapies?
EMDR therapy does not require the client to talk in detail about the distressing or traumatic issue or event that is causing the distress in their life. EMDR Therapy focuses on changing the emotion/s, thought/s, and behaviour/s resulting from the traumatic memories of events thus helping the brain to resume its natural healing process. EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. In the EMDR Therapy session, the therapist will demonstrate some techniques such as Emotional Regulation techniques and Stabilization techniques in preparation. For many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions than other therapies.
Brainspotting
What is Brainspotting and how does it work?
Brainspotting is a new form of therapy that aims to help clients process difficult emotions and or traumatic experiences. In Brainspotting, different eye positions are used to
help identify “Brainspots” linked to experiences, emotions, or sources of distress. Once identified, the therapists will instruct you to look at the tip of a pointer to help you
access, experience, and process the thoughts, emotions, and body sensations stored in your body with a mindfulness technique.
Who can benefit from Brainspotting?
Brainspotting was developed and designed as a trauma treatment, it can help people want support with:
How is
Brainspotting different from EMDR?
In both Brainspotting and EMDR, the eyes are used to access the trauma and or the
distressing memories. Brainspotting was developed from the EMDR model in 2003 when Dr. David Grand noticed his client’s trauma emerging when their eye position was fixed in a specific position.
Curious, he looked for this pattern with other Trauma clients and found that each had a specific spot where they could fix their eyes and more easily access the traumatic memories and
emotions.
Some of the key differences between brainspotting and EMDR are: