EMDR therapy
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an effective form of therapy that can help you to resolve the following issues –
- Old issues from your past that leave you feeling stuck
- Recent or historic trauma
- Unhelpful beliefs you hold about yourself or others. Have a look at the diagram below to see an example of how Negative Beliefs can be transformed into more constructive ways of viewing yourself and the world
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How can you recognise that you might need EMDR?
EMDR therapy involves the use of eye movements (or tapping) to stimulate your brain’s natural healing system, helping you to adopt more constructive ways of viewing yourself and the world around you.
- You have been feeling stressed, anxious, or burned out
- You are easily startled, nervous, or jumpy
- You feel detached, heavy, or lethargic
- You have become fixated on certain thoughts, or you find yourself obsessing over certain things
- You find it hard to trust people, you cannot seem to connect to friends and family, or you have been experiencing relationship conflict
EMDR therapy involves the use of eye movements (or tapping) to stimulate your brain’s natural healing system, helping you to adopt more constructive ways of viewing yourself and the world around you.
Why do I feel like this?
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A panic attack is terrifying, memory loss can be bewildering, and passing out can leave you frightened about a serious illness. The worst part about all of this is the unknown.
When you understand how your brain and body works, this can remove the fear of the unknown. It also helps you understand why we do certain things in the therapy session, and why these are likely to make you feel better. One such theory is the Polyvagal Theory, as explained by psychiatrist Dr Stephen Porges. In short, this theory helps us to understand how we manage to regulate our mind and body using the following three systems - 1. Social engagement system (for example, we communicate through facial expression and voice) 2. Sympathetic nervous system - We use our torso and limbs to mobilize 3. Parasympathetic nervous system - We become immobilized How we use each system depends upon if we are safe or unsafe. For example - 1. If we are unsafe then we will use the social engagement system to use appeasement or denial or negotiation. If we feel safe, we will use this to play, experience sensuality, and experience sexuality. 2. If we are unsafe and we cannot use our social engagement system, we will use our torso and limbs to mobilize (fight or flight). If we feel safe, we will enjoy work, sport, dance, yoga, sex and art (not all at the same time!). 3. Finally, if we are unsafe and we cannot mobilize ourselves, then we become immobilized and freeze or dissociate (for example, if we believe our life is in danger). If we feel safe, we will sleep or meditate. |
COVID-19 update
Due to the current health crisis, it is currently safer to conduct EMDR sessions via a confidential video portal. The EMDR International Association has issued guidelines as to how this can be done, and we have continued to see positive results in our clients.
Contact us if you would like more information about how EMDR therapy translates to an online format.
Contact us if you would like more information about how EMDR therapy translates to an online format.
Chris Warren-Dickins & EMDR
Chris Warren-Dickins is a member of EMDRIA (EMDR International Association), and Chris has been trained as an EMDR therapist by the EMDR Institute. If you would like to discuss this further, please get in contact. We offer a free 15-minute telephone consultation.
More about Chris Warren-Dickins LLB MA LPC
More about Chris Warren-Dickins LLB MA LPC
Trauma is more common than you may think
Trauma is not just about the more obvious incidents (road accidents and military combat). Trauma includes incidents that have been referred to as "trauma with a small 't'", such as "being teased by one’s peers or disparaged by one’s parent" (EMDR Institute).
This is why it is important to focus on your experiences from childhood, because research shows that this can have a significant impact on "risk factors for several of the leading causes of death in adults" (Felitti et al). See Figure 1 below.
The way we view the world today are greatly informed by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). If we grew up believing that the world was unsafe, or that people could not be trusted, it is likely that these beliefs are informing our current view of the world around us. Adverse childhood experiences include -
As the diagram below shows, Adverse Childhood Experiences can cause physical health complications (such as heart disease and cancer), and mental health issues (such as Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and addictions).
This is why it is important to focus on your experiences from childhood, because research shows that this can have a significant impact on "risk factors for several of the leading causes of death in adults" (Felitti et al). See Figure 1 below.
The way we view the world today are greatly informed by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). If we grew up believing that the world was unsafe, or that people could not be trusted, it is likely that these beliefs are informing our current view of the world around us. Adverse childhood experiences include -
- Verbal abuse
- Emotional neglect
- Physical abuse
- Physical neglect
- Sexual abuse
- A parent who abuses substances
- A parent who is survivor of domestic violence
- A family member with mental illness
- A family member who is incarcerated
- A parent died, divorced, or abandoned their child
As the diagram below shows, Adverse Childhood Experiences can cause physical health complications (such as heart disease and cancer), and mental health issues (such as Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and addictions).
Figure 1. Source: CDC
Break the chain of stress, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences
You can break the chain of the stress and trauma caused by adverse childhood experiences. With the help of therapy such as EMDR, you can allow the brain to heal, helping you to learn positive beliefs about yourself and the world around you. This can significantly impact on your relationships at home and at work.
EMDR is recognised as an "A" level of treatment for trauma (World Health Organization), and it is recognised by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence as one of two empirically supported treatments of choice for adult PTSD.
Unlike other approaches, EMDR is not a relaxation exercise. Nor is it an attempt to overpower your negative experience with cognitive challenges (altering the way you think). Instead, the purpose of EMDR is for the reprocessing (the use of rapid eye movements) to bring you to a point where you can sit with these experiences, so that you are no longer distressed by them. By the end of the reprocessing, you will feel, think, and believe in your body, that the once distressing experiences are in the past, and not in your present.
It is a useful treatment for a wide range of issues including
EMDR is recognised as an "A" level of treatment for trauma (World Health Organization), and it is recognised by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence as one of two empirically supported treatments of choice for adult PTSD.
Unlike other approaches, EMDR is not a relaxation exercise. Nor is it an attempt to overpower your negative experience with cognitive challenges (altering the way you think). Instead, the purpose of EMDR is for the reprocessing (the use of rapid eye movements) to bring you to a point where you can sit with these experiences, so that you are no longer distressed by them. By the end of the reprocessing, you will feel, think, and believe in your body, that the once distressing experiences are in the past, and not in your present.
It is a useful treatment for a wide range of issues including
- Trauma,
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),
- Phobias,
- Panic disorders,
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder,
- Generalized anxiety disorder,
- Crime victims,
- Emergency response workers,
- Excessive grief,
- Children and adolescents suffering from depression due to disturbing life experiences,
- Sexual assault victims,
- Victims of natural and manmade disasters,
- People with performance anxiety in school, business, etc,
- People with somatic problems (pain, gastrointestinal problems, etc)
Find out more about our boutique psychotherapy service, located in Ridgewood, Bergen County, and serving the whole of New Jersey.