Three steps to find good EMDR Therapy and Three questions you must ask to find a good EMDR Therapist. Are you seeking effective EMDR therapy for yourself or a loved one? As a seasoned Accredited EMDR Practitioner, I understand the importance of finding a skilled therapist who can make a difference. Here are three essential steps to locate a proficient EMDR therapist and three crucial questions to ask during the selection process. Don’t Rely on Google Reviews for Choosing a Psychologist When it comes to choosing a psychologist, Google reviews are not the most reliable source of information. Thi ..read more

EMDR 2.0 is an updated version of EMDR therapy that builds on the original EMDR protocol but includes several adjustments to improve its effectiveness in treating patients with complex PTSD. EMDR 2.0 includes a stronger emphasis on activating memory and challenging working memory. It also includes modifications to the standard EMDR protocol to better address complex PTSD and other complex cases. EMDR 2.0 may be more intensive and personalized than standard EMDR therapy, with the goal of optimizing trauma treatments and improving patient outcomes. These changes are based on the clinical experie ..read more

Were you hospitalised with a COVID-19 or suffered severe symptoms? You may have COVID PTSD. Have you woken up feeling exhausted despite an average amount of sleep? Are you having vivid nightmares? Do you find yourself feeling angry, depressed, or anxious more often than usual? Are you feeling isolated and withdrawn? If you answered yes, you might be suffering from the less-talked-about, long-lasting impact of your COVID-19 PTSD. I’ve been noticing increasing clients who had COVID appearing in my office with all the PTSD symptoms of having suffered a life threatening trauma. I have been treatin ..read more

Clients occasionally ask, “are there any EMDR therapy side effects or dangers of EMDR therapy?’. I am tempted to answer, “Yes, you may stop feeling so miserable and distressed.” There will be the side effect of a manageable increase in emotional distress during the session. After all, the reason you are seeing an EMDR therapist is to target traumatic experiences. However, if we measure distress on a scale from 0 to ten, where 0 is feeling no distress and ten is feeling so bad you need to run out of the therapy room, the sweet spot to start EMDR is about a six or a seven.An accredited EMDR prac ..read more

I am often asked to refer family or client’s partners to another EMDR therapist that I would recommend (this is a conflict of interest for therapists). This is how I as a Accredited EMDR Practitioner would check credentials when I need to find one for my family members. There are no gaurentees but at least this gives you a good chance of getting someone who has good experience. In Australia, EMDR therapists are graded by the EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAA) according to there training and experience. Step 1 – Goto EMDRAA Find a Therapist   and Accept Terms  (Alternatively click ..read more

Your first session is history taking and assessing your readiness as well as demonstrating what EMDR feels like. The second session will involve selecting targets (distressing memories and related incidents). You will also be taught skills to help regulate distress during sessions. The aim is to produce rapid and effective change whilst you maintain as much emotional equilibrium as possible. The processing phase (session 3 or 4) begins by getting you to focus on the most distressing image associated with the traumatic experience, plus the emotions accompanying the image, body sensations (tight ..read more

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is now over 25 years old and is considered an evidence-based treatment. The question “Does it work?” has now been replaced by the bigger question “How does it work?” There are a number of theories but the one that makes sense to me is in the article Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Slow Wave Sleep which I will try and summarise as I understand it (all errors of interpretation are mine, email your corrections). Essentially, When we experience something overwhelming and relive the traumatic event there is reduced control of the pre-f ..read more

I call this the “Stand Down Dino!” method. For over 50,000 years our ancestors had to constantly monitor what was going on around them.  Not only did they have to watch out for the sabre-tooth tiger and poison berries, their biggest threat – their own tribe members. As resources were limited, groups (about 40-200 members) needed to roam large areas to survive. Anyone of us who met the disapproval of the tribe or was considered working against the common interests was abandoned. Abandonment nearly always meant death. A key survival mechanism in our brain was to constantly scan and monitor ..read more

Arthur Aron famously developed these  36 questions to bring people closer together in 1997.  It went viral 20 years later when the New York Times published it as   “To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This”.   Although there are varying claims to its effectiveness (and ineffectiveness), the questions can be a fun way to learn more about a partner, friend or family member. They come in 3 sets. Each set is intended to make each of you more vulnerable. The sets are progressively more probing questions. The final task of Set 3 is staring into each other’s eyes for 4 minut ..read more