We’re excited to let you know that we can now offer Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) at Lantern Psychotherapy!
Please see our EMDR FAQ below for more information:
- What is EMDR?
EMDR is a type of therapy which focusses on helping people with distressing memories. When we have difficult or traumatic experiences, our normal ways of processing and storing information in the brain can be disrupted. This can leave us with memories that feel more emotional than usual, and that continue to affect us negatively even after a long time has passed. EMDR aims to unblock distressing memories and allow us to store them properly, so that they are no longer causing problems in the here-and-now.
- How does EMDR work?
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation – which just means stimulating both sides of the body in some way – to kickstart the brain’s natural information processing systems. This usually takes the form of eye movements, but could also involve you tapping both sides of your body, or listening to sounds in both ears.
We know from research that this process is effective in reducing the distress caused by upsetting memories, and although we don’t know exactly why this is the case, there are a number of different theories. For example, it could be that EMDR replicates the kind of information processing we do during REM sleep – when our eyes naturally move in a very similar way to the movements created in an EMDR session. We also know that concentrating on a number of things at once is difficult, and it may be that by splitting our attention between different sorts of tasks, EMDR reduces our capacity to focus fully on the upsetting memory and therefore makes the memory less vivid.
- What happens in an EMDR session?
Your therapist will work with you to identify a target for the EMDR. This might be a recent traumatic memory, but could also be a difficult memory from childhood or another point in your life. When you have agreed together what memory to work on, your therapist will help you to practice bilateral stimulation – usually eye movements – and will take you through some exercises to make sure you are able to manage any difficult emotions that could come up during processing.
During a processing session, your therapist will ask you to think about your difficult memory whilst using bilateral stimulation. As you do this, you might notice changes in your thoughts, emotions or physical sensations. Your therapist will check in with you regularly about what is coming up for you, but you do not need to talk about your memories in detail.
- Is EMDR just for PTSD?
There is a strong evidence-base for using EMDR as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, many mental health problems – including Depression, Low Self-Esteem, Phobias and other anxiety problems – have their roots in difficult memories, and EMDR has been used to treat all of these.
- What does ‘EMDR Therapist-in-training’ mean?
To qualify as an EMDR Therapist, practitioners must have completed a 3-part training course in addition to their core psychotherapy training. All therapists at Lantern Psychotherapy have completed at least the first part of the EMDR training course, and are now eligible to provide EMDR under supervision.
- Will I be hypnotised?
We know that EMDR can seem a little strange at first though, and it’s understandable if you feel unsure about it. But no, you definitely won’t be hypnotised! In EMDR, you are always in control, and if you want to stop, you can – your therapist will always discuss this with you before beginning any processing work.
Please get in touch with us if think you might be interested in EMDR or if you have any questions – we’d be very happy to talk to you.
Lantern Psychotherapy 