EMDR FOR TRAUMA OR ANXIETY

I use EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). EMDR is a resource-orientated method that influences the neural pathways, re-evaluating cognitions and emotions and thereby initiating the self-healing process. EMDR utilizes bilateral stimulation (both brain hemispheres are activated), primarily through guided eye movements, or, increasingly, with tactile or acoustic stimulation. In the case of trauma, the event is stored incompletely or in fragments, not as a whole. The memory is not connected with the centres for time, language and logic. Through bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or alternate tapping above the knee or on the palms of the hands (or stimulation using my 'Theratapper', which is held by the client and buzzes slightly in alternate hands), while at the same time concentrating on the traumatic situation, impulses are sent alternatively to the right and left hemispheres of the brain. The previously split and unconnected networks are reconnected and recognized by the cognitive brain as ‘the past’. The fragmented memory is gradually transformed into a whole memory. The ‘emotional brain’ and the ‘cognitive brain’ are now both active and linked concerning the information around the traumatic event. This is why after a few EMDR sessions clients perceive the trauma as belonging to the past and no longer to the present: “It was bad but now it’s over”