EMDR Therapy
I offer Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) as part of my work with adults, particularly where past experiences continue to feel emotionally present or difficult to move beyond.
EMDR is a structured psychological therapy developed to help people process distressing or traumatic experiences. It is best known as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), although it may also be helpful where anxiety, depression or other difficulties are connected to experiences that have been overwhelming or difficult to process.
My approach to EMDR is informed by my wider psychodynamic practice. This means that while EMDR can provide a more focused way of working with particular memories or experiences, we continue to pay attention to the person as a whole: your history, relationships, inner world and the meaning an experience has acquired over time.
What happens in EMDR?
EMDR is not simply a matter of moving your eyes while thinking about something distressing.
It is a phased therapeutic process.
Before working directly with difficult memories, we spend time understanding what has brought you to therapy, identifying the experiences that may be relevant and considering how you currently manage distress.
Preparation is particularly important where there has been complex or repeated trauma. We will think together about emotional regulation, safety and your capacity to remain sufficiently grounded while approaching difficult material.
When we begin processing a particular memory, you may be asked to notice an image, thought, emotion or bodily sensation associated with it. Bilateral stimulation is then introduced in short sets, with pauses in between to notice what arises.
The process is collaborative and paced carefully. You remain awake, aware and in control throughout.
Unlike hypnosis, EMDR does not involve entering an altered state of consciousness.
It may also involve less detailed verbal retelling than some other forms of trauma-focused therapy. You do not necessarily have to describe every aspect of an experience in detail for therapeutic work to take place.
EMDR and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
My primary training is in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and this continues to inform the way I understand psychological distress.
EMDR and psychodynamic psychotherapy work somewhat differently.
Psychodynamic therapy allows us to explore patterns that may have developed gradually across a lifetime: relationships, early experiences, unconscious expectations, defences and ways of relating to ourselves and others.
EMDR can offer a more focused way of working when particular experiences appear to remain emotionally unresolved.
For some people, EMDR may therefore form one part of a longer psychotherapeutic process rather than being a completely separate treatment.
The two approaches can complement one another: understanding the meaning of an experience while also helping to reduce the intensity with which aspects of that experience continue to be carried in the present.
Is EMDR right for me?
EMDR is not necessarily appropriate for everyone, nor is it something I would begin immediately simply because a person has experienced trauma.
An initial consultation gives us an opportunity to understand what you are struggling with, your history and what you would like help with. We can then think together about whether EMDR, psychodynamic psychotherapy, or a combination of the two might be most helpful.
There is no expectation that you arrive knowing which form of therapy you need.
Starting EMDR
I work with adults from my practice at 1 Quality Court, Chancery Lane, Central London.
If you are specifically interested in EMDR, you are welcome to mention this when contacting me. We can discuss what brings you to therapy during an initial consultation and consider whether EMDR would be appropriate for you.