Have you heard of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, is a psychological focused strategy which has been thoroughly researched to treat mental health disorder and trauma. It was created by Francine Shapiro, American psychologist after she discovered how eye movement helped her to reduce a distressful thought.

EMDR works with both side of the brain to help client to integrate and reprocess a traumatic incident to bring it to a fruitful resolution for their traumatic memory. The brain has the natural capacity to resolve our daily life stressful event, however, with traumatic event, our brain needs a bit more support. EMDR helps to desensitise fight and flight trauma responses which are immediate, automatic and instinctive response to fear. EMDR also is very effective to work with our psychological defence when it comes to unpleasant and hidden vulnerable feelings. They are the important parts that needs to be targeted in treatment because they drive our unhelpful behaviours and thoughts about ourself, other, relationship and the world.

Before doing EMDR, client needs to be assessed properly to see if EMDR is a suitable treatment for them. Desensitising and reprocessing phrase can’t be performed until client achieve some level of safety and emotional stability in their life.

EMDR is based on AIP ( adaptive information processing) which means our current triggers and presenting issues are the result of what happened in the past. For example, someone who was bullied in their primary school, can have anxiety and confident issues when they come to work and find it hard to fit in with other co-workers. EMDR target the traumatic memories of them being bullied to change their unhelpful core belief about themselves – which then can change their behaviours from protective of themselves to more connecting with others co-workers in working environment.

I have completed Level 2 training in EMDR and will continue to advance my skills in this treatment style. At DKM Psychology I use EMDR in my work with clients who have experienced significant traumatic events. I currently have capacity to accept new client referrals for 2023, with immediate availability. I accept GP, Workcover, TAC and Private referrals.

Written by Thanh Nguyen (AMHSW)