About method
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) – desensitization and processing by eye movements. This is a therapy that was developed for the treatment of post-traumatic disorders. With the help of eye movement, those parts of the brain that are responsible for processing information are activated. As a result, the traumatic event, which is “stuck” in the memory and brings pain, begins to fade gradually.
Desensitization is the reduction of negative tension about certain situations and objects. Often, a traumatic situation continues to cause us fear and anxiety, even when it is far behind, and nothing threatens us. Desensitization techniques help you stop responding in a particular pattern. At City Psychological Services we provide the best service of emdr therapy in London.
EMDR also works with the cognitive component – human beliefs and associations. Gradually, they are replaced by less destructive and more positive ones. It is important to note that the method has nothing to do with hypnosis: studies have shown that during hypnosis, the brain enters a completely different state. During an EMDR session, the client is conscious and can stop working at any time.
The creator of EMDR is Francine Shapiro. Initially, her work was not related to psychology: Francine received a doctorate in English literature. About 30 years old, she found out that she had cancer. It was a traumatic tragic experience that changed her life forever. As a result of a long treatment, the disease receded, but the anxiety did not disappear.
Then Francine wanted to understand how interconnected the body and mind are. At first she began attending bodywork and meditation seminars, then she entered a doctoral program in psychology.
The impetus for the discovery of EMDR technology was an ordinary walk in the park. Francine was walking and looking at the landscape, when suddenly she realized that her usual anxiety no longer tormented her. Francie After examining her behaviour, we found a pattern: her eyes would unconsciously go in a certain direction as soon as she was forced to think about or remember anything upsetting. Positive changes occurred gradually in both thinking and emotions.
Francine wondered if the eye movements in this way only affected her, or if it could help other people too. At the institute, she started doing tiny tests. She asked the volunteers if they were worried about something, and then offered to follow the movements of her hand with her eyes. The hypothesis was confirmed: already after one such “session”, the condition of people improved markedly.
Francine first called the method EMD (Eye Movement Desensitization) and first officially mentioned it in 1989. The R (Reprocessing) element was added later. It is he who points out that in the process of therapy not only negative feelings decrease, but also the client’s cognitive attitudes change.
Francine Shapiro is now a senior fellow at the Palo Alto Research Institute and director of the EMDR Institute. She also founded the EMDR humanitarian aid program, where therapy can be provided to disadvantaged groups around the world. In 2002, Francine received the Sigmund Freud International Prize, the premier award in the field of psychotherapy.