EMDR
For treatment of trauma and PTSD
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, is a form of psychotherapy designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. If you have PTSD, experience trauma, anxiety or depression stemming from adverse life experiences, EMDR will help you.
It is a structured therapy that emphasises the processing of past traumas and emotions that are impacting present symptoms or challenges, with a forward-looking approach to enhance future quality of life. Dean is a fully trained EMDR professional who offers this therapy in Ipswich in-person, and also online over Zoom.
EMDR Therapy is a treatment based on evidence, endorsed by the World Health Organization and approved by Medicare Australia.
What to expect
In an EMDR therapy session with Dean, he may ask you to think of a distressing event while also engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements back and forth. This mimics the brain's healing process during REM sleep, where the eyes move rapidly.
Recalling a memory shifts it from long-term to short-term or working memory. Focusing on this memory while following Dean’s moving fingers overloads the working memory. Typically, this leads to:
- The memory feeling less vivid
- A decrease in emotional distress
- The emergence of beneficial beliefs
This process begins to link the emotional and rational parts of the brain. Consequently, your perspective on the memory may shift, reducing its negative influence. Over time, as you work through pivotal memories or issues with EMDR therapy, symptoms of trauma can lessen, positive thought patterns can form, and changes in your reactions and behavior can occur. These changes tend to be deep and enduring because they address the fundamental issues, not just symptom management.