Some of the symptoms of trauma that you maybe experiencing are, depression, anxiety, fear, anger, shame, self-blame, and feeling constantly watchful and on guard.
If you are experiencing such symptoms, they are normal symptoms of your traumatic experience which have manifested over time. The body remembers every aspect of your traumatic event, but protects you by giving you some fragmented memories of your trauma which can over time be quite distressing.
As part of your therapy, I will offer psycho-education and support strategies that will allow you to gain some control over what you are struggling with. I am a firm believer that having some knowledge and perspective on why we feel the way we do can be very powerful in the healing process.
I work within a formulated model, therefore the first few sessions we will look at your presenting issues, an overview of your life to gather a sense of the impact your trauma has had on your life. Collaboratively we will plan the best therapeutic approach. This will also allow us to build on a therapeutic relationship, so you will feel safe and comfortable to work through your trauma.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful healing method that can relieve many troublesome symptoms resulting from TRAUMA. EMDR has also been applied to other problems including anxiety, sexual abuse and phobias.
Evidence has shown that EMDR can significantly shorten the length of treatment far beyond the scope of being involved in talking therapy alone. When a disturbing event occurs, it can get locked in the brain with the images, sounds, thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. EMDR seems to stimulate the information and allows the brain to process the experience.
The bilateral stimulation of movement, tones or tapping, helps to process the material. It is your own brain doing the healing and you are the one in control.
EMDR is a non-drug, non-hypnotic psychotherapy procedure. EMDR is not a single session process, but has an 8 phase treatment protocol.
As your EMDR therapist I will work with you in a safe and confidential way, offering grounding and stabilisation methods as part of reprocessing target memories.
How do I choose the right therapist for me
There is a lot of terminology around therapy which can be quite confusing. You can find a lot of the terminology explained if you click the link below.
I believe that the relationship between you and the therapist is one of the most important aspects of therapy. You may have had therapy before and didn’t find it helpful. This may have been because the therapist wasn’t quite right for you in that moment. This is the reason why I offer an initial telephone consultation and you are under no obligation to continue if it does not feel right for you. I will do my best to be transparent with how we work together. I will never ask you to discuss anything that you were not comfortable with, and the sessions will progress at your pace.