EMDR

Traditional EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) has been used to treat trauma for many decades. The idea being that traumatic events can be left unprocessed, manifesting in problems in our bodies, behaviours, and relationships. The Standard EMDR Protecol is used to work through and help process historical traumatic events, and then anxiety about future events. There is little space for analysing or exploring the relational side of ones self.

A development from traditional EMDR is attachment-focused EMDR (AF-EMDR). This uses the same basic theory and principles, but is applied in a more relational way. In this approach, rather than looking for single traumatic events we look at how the relationships around you as a child may have affected your development, both psychologically, and physiologically in your nervous system.

What if a parent was depressed and unable to be emotionally available to us as a child? Or we were bullied by a sibling? We may have conscious memories of abuse or depravation, or, there may just be a feeling that something isn't right in life. Maybe there is a compulsive behaviour, partners don't stay longer than a few months, and so on.

What is interesting to note is how we respond to life events, such as the end of a relationship. Some people recover quickly, whereas others may experience a significant breakdown. Why?

Like the earliest theories of human development from psychoanalysis, AF-EMDR believes how we respond now is rooted in our early development. For most people this is not surprising, but I have found that AF-EMDR can help with is accessing these early memories and dynamics. Sometimes the most innocuous of child hood events can be informing a current behaviour, or how we respond to stressful events in the present.

AF-EMDR is a powerful psychotherapeutic technique, that in my experience can be very helpful at reducing distress. However, there is a lot of interest in EMDR on social media at the moment, with an idea that it is a panacea, a quick cure. It isn't. This work takes time, care, and sensitivity, with a suitably qualified and experienced therapist.

I also offer Adjunct- EMDR, essentially EMDR alongside existing therapy. If you are a therapist with a client you feel may benefit from this, or a client in therapy, please make contact to discuss options further.

Sessions are £120 for 60 minutes, either online or in-person.