WHat IS EMDR? IS IT RIGHT FOR ME?
EMDR (which stands for “eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing”) is a specialised therapy approach to heal unresolved trauma or move through difficult "stuck" places . This can be used either in-person or online, stand-alone or as an integrated part of broader work. EMDR therapy is very effective for issues which feel too difficult to talk about, as it is not a traditional talking therapy and in-depth discussion of the distressing events is not required.
EMDR works to neutralise the distress of experience, thereby allowing our brain to understand it in a new way. This profoundly shifts how we see ourselves as a result of that experience, and creates self-generated deep internal healing.
EMDR was originally developed for use with “classical” trauma (such as accidents, natural disasters, war) but is also used with relational and attachment trauma (such as emotionally distant parents, childhood bullying, loss of loved ones). It is also useful for phobias, anxiety, breakups, and any distressing experiences which are still creating difficulty for you in present day.
You may have read about it in “The Body Keeps the Score” or seen Prince Harry discuss his experience of it.
You can read more on the basics of how EMDR works at EMDR UK. EMDR is a NICE approved therapy, and used throughout the NHS, as well as endorsed by the WHO. EMDR practitioners require certification under an advanced training programme.
How is EMDR OFFERED?
Contact Jen for more on one of the offerings below.
WEEKLY
EMDR can be incorporated within a traditional weekly therapy arrangement. This looks like a standing 50min session appointment, where we may explore ongoing issues and themes in talking therapy, and then collaboratively agree to target specific experiences or memories with EMDR for a few weeks, following on with resuming talk therapy to integrate the learning. This can work to shift long-standing issues within a traditional framework.
This approach works well when EMDR is used to focus on getting “unstuck” within longer-term therapeutic work. If this is of interest, we would weave this into our usual open-ended client-led therapy.
INTENSIVELY
EMDR can also be done “intensively”, allowing for concentrated periods of work on specific issues. This looks like identifying several longer blocks of time (2-3 hours) usually over a few weeks, with the aim of resolving 1-3 key experiences. This allows us to quickly gain traction and accelerate reprocessing, for maximum benefit within a short period of time.
This approach works well when time commitments are at a premium, when you are perhaps already working with a regular therapist of your own, or when the issues for resolution are well-defined.
Following on from an initial consultation session, blocks are booked at £250/£350 each.