What is EMDR?
Short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EDMR is a form of psychotherapy treatment initially created to relieve stress caused by mental trauma. For this reason, EDMR is often used to treat PTSD in patients following physical assault, car accidents, military combat, and more. The process involves assessing and processing the patient’s traumatic memories to form a solution accordingly. The goal is to reverse negative beliefs and minimize the psychological impacts caused by the memories of the adverse life experiences. This form of treatment is relatively new in the medical world, but has produced impressive results in patients worldwide.
How does EMDR work?
This nontraditional procedure does not use medication or “talk” therapy to improve the patient’s symptoms. Instead, the treatment process uses the patient’s own rapid rhythmic eye movements to soften the impact of emotional memories related to traumatic events of the past. One EDMR session typically lasts for about 90 minutes, whereby your therapist will ask that you follow the movements of her or his fingers in front of your eyes. Simultaneously, the therapist will ask that you recall the traumatic event to trigger your physical and psychological responses. The goal is to slowly transform your associated thoughts into more pleasant ones.
What can EMDR be used to treat?
Aside from PTSD (acute or chronic), EDMR is often used to treat patients suffering from:
- Eating disorders
- Addictions
- Panic attacks
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Depression
EDMR has shown positive results in patients worldwide, and it is a totally safe procedure with no known negative side effects. It’s important to follow your appointment schedule, which normally consists of eight sessions. This is important to reap the full benefits of the treatment course.
How should I prepare for my first EMDR session?
- Avoid wearing contact lenses
- Consider eye drops
- Be prepared to bring painful memories to the surface (it’s worth it in the long run)
- Don’t plan any stressful events for after the session
- Be prepared to be emotional after your first session and in the weeks afterwards
- Be open and honest to get the best results possible
- Know your limits and be prepared to request a break if needed
Clients Words
I have tried EMDR and found it useful for dealing with recent traumatic events. Excellent training, great amount of material covered, extremely relevant to clinical practice. Thank you very much to Healiumhealth! I wish you all the best!
Very well organised and excellently presented. Thoughtfully researched and held my attention all day, many thanks. I was impresses with the quick and professional service provided by all the staff in Healiumhealth and l will be recommending them to anyone!
I’m writing to express my sincere thanks for your great job during my visit to Turkey ! They were extremely professional and reassuring throughout the entire experience. The depth of knowledge in this field gave me the confidence ı was looking for in the procedure and calm. I was very grateful for that and I’m glad I chose Healiumhealth.