What to expect from EMDR

(Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)

Are you looking for EMDR therapy in Colchester? After an initial consultation, where we discuss what you want to achieve from therapy and how I work,

we will assess your needs and history, and prepare you over several sessions by developing coping and relaxation skills. This will equip you to manage emotional responses to the memories we target.

Once ready, we begin processing distressing memories by focusing on them while stimulating your brain with a light bar, tapping, pulsators, or sounds. We pause regularly to check in on your thoughts and feelings.

This process encourages natural healing, helping shift limiting beliefs and fears, and reduces post-traumatic stress symptoms. The goal is to replace negative beliefs with positive ones. Each session ensures you leave feeling calm and grounded. We reassess the target memory in the next session until desensitisation is achieved. You remain in control and choose what to work on, without needing to disclose every detail of the trauma.

How Many Sessions Will I Need?

Typically, 8-12 sessions are sufficient for a single trauma, or up to 20 for multiple traumas, but this depends on your personal situation. Clients with complex PTSD may require longer.

What You Might Experience

• Emotional Shifts: Intense emotions, including crying.

• Physical Sensations: Changes in body sensations.

• Altered Dreams or Sleep: Vivid dreams and sleep pattern changes.

• Feeling More Present: Less stuck in the past, more present-focused.

  
  

What to Remember

• Normal Brain Function: Changes are due to natural brain healing.

• Consistency is Key: Gradual positive changes occur over time.

• EMDR may not suit everyone; we will assess its suitability in our first session.