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EMDR
EMDR
Mr Phillip Lathopolous is further trained as an EMDR practitioner, a form of psychotherapy used to enable healing from symptoms and emotional distress that are the results of a disturbing life experience and offers this form of therapy to those who meet the criteria.
What is EDMR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, and has been developed since the late 1970s, after it’s discovery by Dr. Francine Shapiro who noticed the therapeutic effects of eye movements on distressing memories during a stroll one day. Since this time EMDR has been successfully used to treat severely traumatised people including War Veterans, victims of violent crimes and other horrific life experiences including accidents and natural disasters.
Except in cases where people lack information/skills or organic reasons (i.e. brain damage from physical illness or injury).
EMDR operates from the belief that all mental and emotional suffering are the result of a failure to process experiences in a healthy and useful way (where we might learn from them and move on better for it, or leave the strong negative feelings in the past) due to the emotional demands of the situation overloading our natural information processing systems.
EMDR believes that our mind, much like our body, is geared towards healing itself, and sometimes a little help is needed to clear the wound of anything obstructing the healing process (in this way an unprocessed memory needs to be cleared to allow the mind to heal itself, much like a splinter needs to be removed for the body to heal itself.
some extra information to help
Frequently Asked Questions
EMDR is taken on a case by case basis and has set stages of therapy. At Psychology Health Studios we believe that when therapies are combined, the benefits of treatment are compounded.
EMDR was originally developed for people suffering from PTSD, and endorsed by the World Health Organisation and the American Department of Defence as a first line treatment for PTSD.
EMDR has since been shown to successfully treat people suffering from Phobias, Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Conduct Problems and low Self-Esteem, Grief and Mourning, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Sexual Dysfunction, Psychotic Disorder, Chronic Pain, Migraine Headaches, Phantom Limb Pain, Medically Unexplainable Physical Symptoms.
Whilst EMDR shows evidence of being helpful for a number of clinical presentations, a thorough clinical assessment is necessary to ensure the best chance that it will be beneficial for you (just like any therapeutic approach).
Assessments typically take between one to three 60 minute sessions to complete.
EMDR involves 8 discrete stages of therapy, the structure of sessions is different depending upon which phase of treatment we are in.
Client History involves an assessment of the individual’s presenting issues and history.
Preparation involves skilling a patient with the techniques needed to manage distressing emotions.
Assessment involves selecting target memories/triggers from the present and other past memories and future fantasies linked with these.
Desensitisation, Reprocessing, Installation, and Body Scan all involve active engagement between patient and therapist with bi-lateral stimulation (eg. following the therapist’s fingers with your eyes, or having the therapist tap your hands or knees) whilst remembering target memories. During desensitisation the therapist and patient sit very closely together while the patient remembers selected memories to focus on while following the therapists fingers, it is thought that this bi-lateral stimulation helps the brain to process the targeted stored memories.
The final stage is called Closure which includes reflection and debriefing of the patient’s unique therapeutic experience.
Sessions can range from 60-90 minutes.
Memory processing can continue on for a few days after each session, however by this stage of therapy one can expect to be equipped with techniques and skills to help manage the experience if it becomes overwhelming.
Patients will also start to experience shifts or changes in the targeted memories, a decrease in avoidant behaviours linked to the target memory, and potential shifts in other memories linked to the memory targeted for reprocessing.
Yes. EMDR can be successfully adapted to virtual consultations.
