Heal the root of the issue

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy is a structured therapy that uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps or tones) to help process traumatic memories

Stop just surviving and start releasing!

Are you tired of trying various coping strategies to help you get through each day?

You may have tried a variety of therapies and become an expert in knowing and understanding where your difficulties stem from and what your triggers are. You may also have a toolbox of coping strategies to use but it still doesn’t seem to be enough. You still believe your negative self-talk or find yourself in the same situations, repeating the same patterns.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) gets to the root of the issue - the negative beliefs or emotional disturbances that have become ‘stuck’ in your brain and body. EMDR can help release them so you can move forward with your life.

Eye-Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing Therapy was originally developed for for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder however is increasingly being used for a variety of mental health conditions including anxiety, panic, depression, stress, phobias, boy image issues, complicated grief, addictions, chronic pain, low self-esteem, social and performance anxiety, and even tinnitus.

EMDR maybe right for you if:

You can’t shake those limiting beliefs even though you know they aren’t true.

You’re constantly on high alert, living in fear or expecting something catastrophic to happen but don’t know why. Nothing really appears to be wrong in your life.

Your body keeps reacting by panicking or shutting down without any clear triggers.

You keep getting ‘stuck’ in unhealthy relationships or making unhealthy choices.

  • Personalised

    Our initial sessions will be dedicated to assessing your current wellness and creating a personalised plan to fit your unique needs and goals.

  • Targeted

    Everyone has individual pain points when it comes to achieving wellness. I’ll work closely with you to help identify and overcome your triggers.

  • Integrative

    Since achieving wellness is more than just psychological help, I’ll guide you towards other helpful services when I see they maybe needed.

FAQs

 

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). EMDR is a structured therapy first developed in 1987 by Dr Francine Shapiro for treating Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Since then, it has been used effectively to treat a wide range of mental health problems including anxiety, panic, depression, stress, phobias, complicated grief, addictions, chronic pain, self-esteem, social and performance anxiety, and even tinnitus.

It does not rely on more traditional talk therapies, or medication but instead uses Rapid Eye Movement (REM) taps or tones as the basis for treatment.

What is the evidence it works?

EMDR is one of the most researched psychotherapeutic approaches for PTSD. There are over 20 controlled clinical studies that have found EMDR to effectively decrease or eliminate the symptoms of PTSD for the majority of clients.

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) recommends EMDR as a first line treatment for PTSD. This is the highest rating that can be applied to a specific therapeutic approach. Additional research has focussed on use of EMDR for Depression and Anxiety and numerous other issues with extremely good results.

What is bilateral stimulation?

Bilateral stimulation in EMDR therapy involves moving the eyes which move from side to side during processing sessions, but can also take the form of taps to the knees, holding buzzers in each hand and audiological stimulation.

How does it work?

When we experience a traumatic event, our brain cannot process information as it ordinarily does. It gets ‘stuck’ and not integrated the same way. When you're reminded of the event, you might feel as if it's happening in the present again, you may experience flashbacks, intrusive memories, or feel intense emotions or physical sensations.

EMDR reprocesses these memories using eye movements to activate the same part of the brain that is activated in REM sleep.

Over time the memories lose some of the intensity and shift to being more of a neutral memory that can be integrated along with other regular events.

Is this hypnosis?

No. EMDR keeps you wide awake and does not induce a hypnotic trance. Your therapist will guide you however remain silent throughout most of the treatment. Occasionally they will ask you to report on how you are doing, if you are noticing any thoughts, images or sensations coming up. EMDR works with the natural processing mechanisms found within the brain, reprocessing happens spontaneously.

Will I be re-traumatised?

One of the benefits of EMDR is that it doesn’t require you to go into detail about traumatic experiences and talk about them in length. However, it is important to know that processing may bring up strong feelings, emotions and disturbing images. These are often only for a short period.

Your therapist will conduct a thorough assessment with you and discuss appropriateness for EMDR at the start of treatment. For some, taking some more time to build safety, learn stress relief skills and utilise other therapy methods first to help lessen the intense emotionality may be useful before choosing to engage in EMDR.