EMDR
EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION and REPROCESSING
EMDR is a short treatment method to resolve horrible experiences. It’s a fairly new method, especially for people who keeps their complaints after the traumstic experience(s).
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a therapy for people who continue to suffer from the consequences of traumatic experiences. This can be a shocking experience, such as a traffic accident or a violent crime. But also for other experiences that have had a lot of influence on the development of someone’s life such as bullying or grievances in youth, which still have an influence in the here-and-now, the method can be used.
EMDR is a relatively new therapy. A first version of EMDR was described in 1989 by its developer, the American psychologist Francine Shapiro. In the years that followed, this procedure was further developed and EMDR developed into a fully-fledged therapeutic method.
Does EMDR work?
A lot of scientific research has been done on the efficacy of EMDR. The results show that clients respond well to EMDR. EMDR is a short-term form of therapy. When it comes to a trauma after a one-off major event, people are often able to resume normal daily activities after just a few sessions.
How do you know if EMDR can be applied?
In the beginning of the therapy, your EMDR therapist will pay extensive attention to the cause and background of the complaints. In addition, a valuation is made of a number of individual characteristics, including the personal capacity and the burden that one experiences from the complaints. This will show whether targeted trauma treatment is necessary or necessary at that time, and whether EMDR can be used for this.
How does EMDR work?
The therapist will ask you to think back to the event including the associated images, thoughts and feelings. First this is done to gather more information about the traumatic experience. After that, the processing process is started. The therapist will ask to recall the event. But now this is happening in combination with a distracting stimulus. Usually that will be the hand of light beam device, or headphone beep program. The therapist will ask to focus attention on this about 30 centimetres away, in front of the face, moving back and forth. After each set, a break is taken. The therapist will then ask the client what comes up in his mind. The EMDR procedure usually triggers a stream of thoughts and images, memories but sometimes also feelings and physical sensations. Often something changes in body and mind.
What are the expected effects?
The offered sets of eye movements or sounds will gradually cause the memory to lose its power and emotional charge of the trauma. So it becomes easier to think back to the original event without triggers of the trauma.
What’s the problem?
What happens to you after a particularly frightening or painful experience? Instead of getting over it, you sometimes get stuck in it. This can lead to changes in how you feel, how you think and act.
You may not even realize that the changes are related to the event until you consider what it was like before. The reminder itself can also cause problems. For example, suddenly experiencing unpleasant images or thoughts that have to do with the event.
What events can lead to processing issues?
Assault
Anxieties
Aggression
Car accident
Childbirth
Fire
Depression
Serious Illness
Violence
Witness to Violence
Height fear
Incest
Mistreatment
Abuse
Nature disaster
Accident
Robbery
Panicked Fear
Grief processing
Separation
Rape
Loss of job
Loss of a loved one
Severe Control