What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a transformative therapy with its’ origins in the treatment of trauma. Although EMDR may not be as widely known as other therapies, it is not new. EMDR was developed over 30 years ago and therefore has been refined as a therapy for decades. EMDR consists of eight-phases which begin from the moment you start your first session! The EMDR lens focuses on how you learnt to think the way you do, the mechanisms you have developed to cope, and the memories connected to these learnings. EMDR is most well known for its’ memory reprocessing phases. These phases will not start straight away. If EMDR is a good fit for you, Nikki will discuss with you the steps to help you reach these phases of treatment.

EMDR is different from most therapies as it is not classified as a talk-therapy. The treatment effects are driven more by resolving the trauma’s impact on the nervous system, body, and the way you feel and think about a memory. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, to help work the distress out of a memory (desensitize), and then reprocess the memory to view it from a more balanced perspective. EMDR helps the brain redefine the memory as a past event that has come and gone, this in turn supports the symptoms originating from that event to dissipate.

EMDR is very much a therapy a clinician does with a person instead of to a person. It requires the clinician to be attuned to the client to help guide them through the process of resolving memories. See below for a short video and links to EMDR Association bodies.