How can EMDR help?
We provide EMDR therapy in Wynnum Brisbane. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a way of helping people who have been through difficult experiences or find themselves ‘stuck’. It was developed by psychologist and educator Dr. Francine Shapiro in 19871. When doing the treatment, you use eye movements to create relaxation and reprocessing effects2. The goal is to help you move through difficult memories and become less reactive to stressful triggers in your everyday life3.
The theoretical basis is that difficult events are stored in unhelpful ways in your mind and this causes you distress4. It aims to fix that by reprocessing the information into a form that can be stored in a healthy way in your mind4. It can help you to remember these events less painfully and without becoming stuck in the memories5.
EMDR has been tested and proven to work for people who have had difficult past experiences, depression, anxiety, and other problems6. The treatment has been supported by many health organisations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), and the Cochrane Collaboration6.
Combining EMDR with psychodynamic therapy can help people process difficult memories while also exploring the underlying causes of their symptoms and resolving internal conflicts
This combination provides a way for patients to access and process memories that may be difficult to verbalize (Watchel, 2002). By using EMDR in conjunction with psychodynamic therapy, patients can gain a deeper understanding of their unconscious motives, thoughts, and feelings. This can lead to deeper changes that are sustained more permanently.
EMDR Reference List
- Shapiro, F. (1989). Efficacy of the eye movement desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2(2), 199-223.
- Shapiro, F. (2001). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
- Shapiro, F., & Laliotis, D. (2011). EMDR and the adaptive information processing model: Integrative treatment and case conceptualization. Clinical Social Work Journal, 39(2), 191-200.
- Solomon, R. M., & Shapiro, F. (2008). EMDR and the adaptive information processing model: Potential mechanisms of change. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 2(4), 315-325.
- Landin-Romero, R., Novo, P., Vicens, V., McKenna, P. J., Santed, A., Pomarol-Clotet, E., … & Amann, B. L. (2018). EMDR therapy modulates the default mode network in a subsyndromal, traumatized bipolar patient. Neuropsychobiology, 75(4), 181-184.
- Valiente-Gómez, A., Moreno-Alcázar, A., Treen, D., Cedrón, C., Colom, F., Pérez, V., & Amann, B. L. (2017). EMDR beyond PTSD: A systematic literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1668.
- EMDR: Taking a Closer Look | Scientific American. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/emdr-taking-a-closer-look/.