Yr2t2 EMDR

They appear to be less 'clear' than they did prior to therapy

Many, but should have an aspect of trauma and be experiential rather than purely 'organic'

That traumatic memories have been maladaptively stored and need to be reprocessed

Bilateral stimulation is central; some say it unblocks the information processing system, restructures the memory by a ping-pong effect between the right and left side of the brain, that daily information is stored in the amygdala before shifting to the neocortex during REM sleep. Trauma is ‘too big’ and as such it stays in the amygdala where it can be ‘felt’; EMDR breaks up the information and processes it into long term memory and allows the memory which has been stored in a perceptual way (felt, seen etc) to be moved to a conceptual memory (experience based).

A) To facilitate resolution of traumatic experiences b) To desensitize stimuli that causes present day distress c) To incorporate adaptive attitudes, skills and desired behaviours for enhanced future functioning

When a person becomes upset or in distressed the brain cannot process information in the way it normally would. Trauma provokes intense emotions that become ‘stuck in time’ and information gets lodged in the right side of the brain. If we placed a person who has been through a traumatic experience in an MRI scanner the right side would flare up with the left side left less active. EMDR helps us to move the information from one side to both sides and after the EMNR process another MRI scan would show both sides lighting up

* Gather Genograms * drug/alc/mood/other trauma * degree to which they can talk about it * What do they want? why are they here? * Any dissociation? (EMDR can increase splitting) * Vision/Support/safety *intending to be away any time soon? * Self harm/previous treatment?

· Education · Containment · Grounding · Safe/Calm place This is the point at which the left/right brain analogy is used, as is the ‘Window of Tolerance’

* hand in hand with desensitization * sets up target image (hottest = most closely associated with trauma/emotion) * assess emotions (1-10 for each, which they want to focus on, nudge them towards worst) * Assess somatic/sensations * Assess negative cognitions (ratings, how out of control) *Uncover desired positive cognition (what they would like to believe, rate it) SUDS/VOC

· Introduce bilateral stimulation · Check in on awareness of experience · Auditory · Tactile · Visual (research based mode of EMDR)It is often useful to use the train analogy; this may be like looking out of a train window, things may start to move, come together, it may feel like you are going into a tunnel, but remember that at the end of that tunnel there is light and a way out.

· The desired positive cognition (go beyond the issue stated, if control is desired install ‘in control of whole life’ etc) · Installation · Check the client’s belief in the positive cognition · Past · Present · Future

· Check for full clearing · Sometimes finding new information/feelings · Emphasize the experiential nature‘Start at the top of your head and move to your feet, is there any emotion left?’

· Safe/Calm place · Containment In some sessions not all emotion will be cleared, in these cases safe place work will be needed

· The next session · Check SUDS and VOC · May find more information/feelingsSometimes find ‘feeder’ memories