EMDR uses side to side eye movements to help stimulate the processing which would normally take place during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. During treatment your therapist will ask you questions about your thoughts and feelings about the experience. You will then be asked to focus on this whilst watching the movement. At regular intervals the movement will stop and ask you for feedback on your experience. 

 

EMDR can be emotionally intense at first but usually over time the emotions start to become less distressing as the memory is processed. Sometimes different memories will come up, this is nothing to be alarmed by and your therapist will ask you to just go with it and notice what is happening.

 

Your therapist will spend time preparing you to begin EMDR, it's important the therapist understand you and your experiences. They will also help you learn to relax, perhaps address any other additional problems you have and help you find ways to cope with upsetting memories. You will remain in control during EMDR and can stop the process at any time, a stop signal will be agreed with your therapist.

 

You will meet with your therapist weekly or fortnightly. You may have between 5-20 sessions, depending on the issues you need to work through. Appointments will be around 60 - 90 minutes long. EMDR may be a standalone intervention or as a small part of a longer course of therapy.

 

During sessions you will remain in control of the process and awake, it is not hypnosis so you will be conscious throughout.

 

EMDR has been tested out and found to be an effective treatment, it is recommended by an organisation called NICE which looks at all  the different research for healthcare interventions and makes recommendations about which work the best.

 

EMDR will not make you forget but it aims to reduce the amount of distress you feel about the memories and put them into the correct part of the brain