EMDR

EMDR –Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprogramming

Penny Waite was qualified in EMDR in 2017 by The London College of Clinical Hypnosis. She is based in St Margaret’s, a village situated between Richmond and Twickenham in South West London.

What is it?

EMDR is a form of therapy developed by American phycologist Francine Shapiro in 1982. As with EFT, EMDR is non-invasive. It involves eye movements both side to side and up and down, or tapping from left to right or auditory signals.

How Does it Help?

If something traumatic happens to you, whatever it is, from big to small – from a car accident, after effects of a war experience, to marriage breakdown or an incident which embarrassed you, the memory of the experience is stored in your unconscious mind, and can suddenly and unexpectedly reappear forcing you to relive the original event almost as though it is taking place in the present moment.

Although it is not possible to erase memories, it is possible to erase the emotions around memories and this is something that EMDR (and EFT) are well known for.

What can it help?

Today, EMDR is well known for the treatment of a wide range of problems from PTSD to patterns of behaviour and low self-esteem including depression, phobias and fears, negative beliefs, performance anxiety.

Benefits include:

Reduced memory of traumatic incidents, improvements in the ability to enjoy life and relationships, a reduction in stress, anxiety and irritation allowing you to go about life better able to cope with the pressures and day to day challenges of life. It can also result in improved sleep patterns and reduced sensations of isolation and depression.

EMDR has been recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the treatment of PTSD.