EMDR refers to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

EMDR helps you better deal with the linger effects of a traumatic experience or memory. 

It is a rather structured, multi-stage approach.  The most well known stage of EMDR is the "processing" stage, where clients are asked to focus briefly on a distressing life experience or anxiety producing memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation, usually in the form of eye movements or bilateral auditory tones. 
EMDR itself actually has several stages, including first meeting (either in-person or virtually) with your Therapist to decide on "targets' for EMDR processing, which are the primary or most central events that are the sources of your triggering reactions.  Next we ensure that you have created some mental or emotional resources that help you feel safe that you can use during EMDR processing and in between sessions if triggering memories come up.  Once both you and your Therapist feel you are ready, you will be explained how the EMDR processing sessions work, what to expect, and the importance of being at a relatively stable time in your life.

AN EMDR processing session is not a talk psychotherapy session.  It is a highly focused session using specific techniques and it is important that you allow your Therapist to guide you through a certain number of EMDR processing cycles within a session in order for your anxious or upsetting feelings related to the original trauma to diminish.  Your Therapist will ask you to give some feedback on your thoughts, emotions, and physical reactions throughout the session.  Our goal during EMDR Processing is for you to have a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the distressing experience or anxiety producing memory.  Depending on the complexity of the event, you might need more than one EMDR processing session to help "clear" those vivid emotions and reactions.  

Many people who suffer from PTSD symptoms or anxiety related to a bad memory have benefitted from EMDR.  It is also helpful for feelings of anxiety, low mood related to depression, recurring self-defeating thoughts or behaviors, and other distressing life experiences.  

EMDR complements Hypnotherapy very well or is at times recommended as a more suitable approach to addressing the root cause of a client's issues before or instead of engaging in Hypnotherapy.   If you are interested in EMDR, but your Therapist feels you are in a rather volatile times in your life and not ready for EMDR processing, you might benefit instead from Trauma Focused Regression Hypnosis.  This approach can help you get to the root of some recurring relationship challenges using gentle Regression Hypnosis to reframe your past experiences into a more positive, healthy perspective.

Clients who wish to benefit from the rapid and effective result of EMDR often want to start EMDR processing in their first session.  But for your own safety, EMDR processing is rarely done in a first session.  Rather, it is important to take the time in the first Intake session help your Therapist identify the "target" events or triggers that are bothering you.  Thankfully, this does not mean you have to discuss the distressing memories in detail, but it does mean we should take the time needed to build a relationship of trust and ease, to create some useful Resources for your to learn how to feel safe, and to ensure that you are ready to do the deep and healing work of EMDR Processing. 

During EMDR Processing,  we will focusing on the main "target" cause or event, as well as use EMDR to address any thoughts, feelings, or negative beliefs you you wish to free yourself from.  This will lead to a healthy integration of the memory within your mind and the realization of more positive, healthier feelings and beliefs about the memory and about yourself. 

Although it is necessary to do the preparation sessions leading up to actual EMDR, clients often experience immediate relief and a healthy reframing of the distressing memory after the first EMDR session.  I work mostly with people who do not have a deep or lifelong history of incapacitating trauma, PTSD, or abuse.  Most of my clients are mentally healthy and are simply feeling plagued or held back by a recurring memory of feeling that seems to have settled into their memories in a bothersome way or that was not fully resolved by previous forms of psychotherapy.  

If a client is experiencing symptoms of mental illness or severe distress that are best addressed by a Clinical Psychologist, I will recommend a client do so and might suggest no further sessions with me, or if a client has a history of mental illness, I might only accept to work with that client if they are currently under their doctor's or Psychologists' care.

EMDR sessions can be done in person or as virtual online sessions.  For virtual sessions, the only pre-requisite is that you have a stable table top surface for your laptop with a decent size screen and where you can sit comfortably in front of it as you track my movements on the screen.  IPads and Iphones are generally not recommended as the screen is often too small.

EMDR is recommended either when a client requests it, or when Hypnotherapy or Counselling will not be sufficiently effective in changing a person's personal beliefs, reactions, or behaviors because the original cause comes from a past traumatic memory, or when a client's current Therapist does not offer this approach and feel it would be beneficial to their patient.  It is a deeper way of freeing a person from what is holding them back from becoming the person they want to be. 

Unlike Hypnotherapy, where a program is planned for a client, EMDR sessions are planned one at a time, and need only be prepaid one at at time when they are booked.  The clients is in control at all times and can request to engage in as many or as few sessions as they feel they need.

With the advances in modern technology, EMDR can now be done easily online using a platform where you can interact with me as well as follow the prompts on the screen.  Click here to read more about virtual sessions. 

What you need to know about booking EMDR sessions:

Virtual EMDR session will be recommended when a client cannot quickly and easily travel safely to my office for sessions.   Another option is to meet in person for our Initial Intake Session then to do your EMDR sessions online with more scheduling flexibility and less travel time.  During certain times of the year, only virtual session are available.

You must be in a relatively stable place in your life to do EMDR.  This means that you are not currently living highly stressful circumstances or relationships and your home living arrangements are also sufficiently calm and stable to allow you to feel safe and secure when having an online EMDR session and when you are processing what came up during a session throughout the rest of the week.  EMDR addresses past trauma, not traumatic or unstable circumstances that you currently experiencing.

All EMDR session must be prepaid minimum 48 hrs prior to session or they will be postponed.  Clients who repeatedly cancel or request to reschedule their previously booked sessions will be re-assessed for suitability and sessions might be discontinued until they are ready to commit to consistently attending their previously booked sessions.  This policy exists because EMDR Reprocessing is not as effective if there are repeated breaks or longer time lapses between sessions.

All EMDR session are booked one at a time, always at the same day and time to ensure consistency and to allow for your Therapist to maintain a stable practice and to ensure that a space is always available in her schedule for your next session.  The chosen day / time is held for you until we mutually decide that our work together is done or that further sessions should not occur.   If you are not ready to commit to ongoing sessions, that day/time slot will be offered to another client.  When you are ready to resume, we will find a new mutually available day/time slot.

Your next session will be booked upon completion of your session that day (please have your Agenda and be able to confirm your availability for any subsequent sessions that day), and should not be changed or cancelled unless valid medical reasons are given.  Clients who are able to commit to stable and consistent sessions achieve the best results, and are a requirement for your Therapist to agree to work with you.