I first stumbled on EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitisation) after watching a key-note presentation by renowned cellular biologist Bruce Lipton on the topic of trauma. Lipton claimed that amongst the most effective current therapies for clearing traumas and changing subconscious beliefs were EMDR, Psych-K, EFT and Hypnotherapy. I was intrigued.
I immediately resonated with EMDR due to the significant scientific evidence supporting it. EMDR appeared to help war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, victims of child and sexual abuse, as well as those who had been in an accident or experienced a disaster. My discovery of EMDR therapy has been pivotal in allowing me to work at a deeper level with clients. With EMDR I have been able to achieve dramatic shifts with more efficiency.
For years I had witnessed the results of talk therapy with varying results. I often found my-self skirting around a client’s traumatic experience, extremely cautious not retraumatise them… but that in itself did not feel right. EMDR immediately appealed to me for the fact it deals not only with the traumatic or adverse life experience but the negative beliefs attached to them. It was also truly amazing to find a therapy that allows the client to verbalise as many or as little details about their distressing experience as they needed to.
Processing the source of the trauma is a necessary part of healing and EMDR was the first therapy that I felt really tackled my client’s issues head on, whilst teaching the client emotional regulating methods that would help them to self-soothe. Clients using EMDR are easily able to tap into their own neuro-network of adverse experiences stored as somatic memories. The somatic storage of distressing experiences manifests in restrictive beliefs, debilitating emotions and a variety of body sensations that stays there until released. These adverse life experiences and traumatic stressors can continue to affect us until it is healed.
EMDR is conducted using bilateral stimulation, an alternating back-and-forth motion that helps in integrating the left and right hemispheres of the brain. I have my clients also use vibrating pulsars to enhance the sensory experience. The result is that trauma is slowly released from the body and new adaptive beliefs are installed. EMDR is a wonderful method of healing I am so grateful to be able to offer my clients.
For more of a definition on EMDR and where to get treatment go to