How does EMDR do this? By moving the eyes side to side we are calming the amygdala whilst the hippocampus retrieves the memory. We desensitise by moving the eyes side to side telling the amygdala we are busy and active and by reducing it’s reactivity and volatility to zero. The amygdyla is relaxed and the hippocampus is cleansed. All the while, the hippocampus is not damaged and all associations with our cognitions are left intact. Let’s go back to dream […]
Wondered what EMDR is? Been hearing more about it recently? Not surprising, as this very useful therapy is garnering respect and favourable feedback on it’s success rates. Such is it’s efficiency that it is used by the Armed Forces, Navy and Emergency services. So what is EMDR? It stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. As it’s acronym suggests with the use of eye movement, it helps reduces; trauma, anxiety and negative self beliefs to nil. And all the latter […]
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured psychotherapy method designed to help people heal from distressing memories and trauma-related symptoms. Developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR is widely recognized as an effective treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions. How EMDR Works The core idea of EMDR is that unprocessed traumatic memories are stored in a way that causes emotional distress when triggered. EMDR helps “reprocess” these memories so they […]
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses hypnosis, a state of focused attention and relaxation, to help individuals make positive changes in their thoughts, feelings, behaviours, or physical well-being. How Hypnotherapy Works Induction: The therapist guides the client into a state of deep relaxation or trance. This process can involve breathing exercises, visualization, or focusing on soothing words or sounds. Hypnotic State: In this state, the client is more open to suggestion because the conscious mind becomes less dominant, allowing […]
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and hypnotherapy are both therapeutic techniques used to address emotional distress, but they differ significantly in approach, underlying theory, and application. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) What it is EMDR is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It is primarily used to treat trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and other distressing memories. How it works The theory behind EMDR is that traumatic experiences overwhelm the brain’s ability to […]
As a parent, how often do you find yourself saying to your teenage daughter “for heaven’s sake – will you put that phone down!” Or hear yourself remarking on the fact that “we didn’t even have mobiles or laptops in our day!” And indeed we didn’t. We had the luxury of going home and shutting the bedroom door on what might have been a dreadful day at school, burying ourselves under the blankets until we were ready to face the outside world again. […]
Having worked with a few twins who have experienced their parents divorce, I’ve noticed they can sometimes be labelled as the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ twin. But just because they were once ‘wombmates’ doesn’t mean they’re identical. If anything they represent the ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ and are bound to display their unique characters and have different reactions – but perhaps not quite as polarised as on first impression. Twins have their own distinctive personalities. Although they have the same genetic […]
Today we are in the middle of an almighty mess. Where one party does not want to separate and another is ready to leave. Does this sound familiar? Oh yes – Brexit is the very disorder of divorce! As with most divorces, the majority are not as well equipped for the long and winding road both parties face during a divorce/separation. Divorce is full of surprises! As with the UK and Europe, there have been ups and downs, with the […]
Imagine your child as a little seedling with its fragile roots encased in some soil. As parents, you are the sturdy and protective plant pots they seek refuge in. But as separated parents, you are now two very different shaped pots. Your child wants to find comfort and nestle into both parents’ pots so they can spread their ‘roots’. To do this they now have to change their shape accordingly, acclimatising to your way of parenting. Then they have to ‘uproot’ and get ready to change shape again to suit the other parents pot while […]
If a child is in a sensitive state or is not thriving and proves to be the vulnerable child, this may exacerbate tensions between separated parents. A vulnerable child can make any parent worried and quickly become the focal point of your ‘failed’ relationship as feelings of parental inadequacy are arising in both of you. Parental differences become more apparent as your fledgling, fragile co-parenting relationship comes under closer scrutiny. When neither of you has a clear view of the […]
Attempting therapy to tackle our personal issues could be likened to unknotting a tangled necklace. You make the decision that it’s now time to loosen up the necklace as it’s beginning to choke you. You’ve probably been putting it off for some time until you finally brace yourself for the leap into therapy. And sometimes the issues feel insurmountable and so messy. The more you unknot one bit, another bit seems to get more tightly wound up. You could say […]
Much has been written about teenagers and the brain and indeed, the brain does go through a revolutionary overhaul during the adolescent years. One could describe this overhaul as the second brain ‘reboot’ beyond the toddler phases and some parents will say they observe the similarities. The Limbic system is hugely influential and key during the teenage years, being very active and often over-reactive. This emotional engine, or motor system, located in the core brain is responsible for survival, memory […]
