Traumatic experiences leave a long legacy, remaining with you even when the actual event is over.
When an individual goes through something very upsetting, the brain’s natural process becomes overactive and instead of becoming filed away as a memory of the past, becomes stuck with its associated negative emotional content.
This can manifest in many exhausting ways:
- Intrusive Symptoms: Vivid flashbacks, distressing nightmares, or sudden, upsetting images.
- Hyper-vigilance: Feeling constantly on edge, “jumpy,” or always scanning for danger.
- Emotional Numbness: Feeling disconnected from others or struggling to experience joy.
- Avoidance: Steering clear of certain places, people, or conversations that trigger the memory.
What is EMDR?
EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is a very effective, empirically based method that is specifically used for resolving stuck memories. Unlike a ‘talk therapy’ it involves no description of the trauma, detail by detail, out aloud.
Bilateral stimulation is used (in the form of directed eye movements, taps or tones) to stimulate the brain’s natural self-healing mechanism.
It decreases the emotional charge that the memory carries and helps to shift it from a living present to a past where it occurred to you, not an experience that is currently describing you.
Our Approach at Clear Mind CBT
At Clear Mind CBT we use EMDR in a structured, caring and most importantly safe manner, and there is no such thing as rushing with us, your feelings of safety are paramount. We will use this structured method, at your pace, to:
- Develop the “groundwork” of safety- Before we revisit the memories that have caused this problem we will practice “grounding” and stabilization skills so that you feel that you are completely in control of the situation and yourself.
- Safely process distressing memories- We will use specific EMDR protocols to defuse the power of memories and “de-charge” the memories so that they do not have such a negative impact on you.
- Change and address negative beliefs- Trauma can leave us with damaging core beliefs about ourselves, “I am not safe”, “it was my fault”, or “I am powerless” and EMDR can help to challenge these to positive and enabling beliefs, “it is over” or “I am strong”.
- Ease and reduce physical tensions- Through processing the memories it allows your system to come off “high alert” to provide a stronger sense of groundedness.
Getting In Contact With Our PTSD Specialists
