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What is EMDR?
Trauma can happen to any one of us all no matter what our background. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that EMDR is a universal approach that everyone can benefit from.
So, after seeing blank expressions from friends’ and clients’ faces when I talk about EMDR, it occurs to me that they haven’t got a clue what I’m on about.
I spend a lot of time either reading about EMDR or practicing it, so I automatically assume everyone knows about it, of course the reality is most don’t, and you might not either. So, I thought it would be a good idea to explain a little bit about this fantastic therapy (well I think it is anyway) that I’m quite excited about and which could help you.
The past always fades
Over the weekend I was reminded how far I have come from the person I once was. It seems to me that my past, i.e. my bad memories seem to constantly fade and disappear into thin air, just like the contrails from a plane.
Two thoughts I had (which almost passed me by) seem almost insignificant now, but still resonate within me for they represent a small step in me evolving and learning. These two events and the thoughts that ensued, aroused my curiosity to self-reflect over how far I come the last few years.
Your thinking, normal or familiar!
What is normal, and what is familiar? Experts estimate the average person is said to have about 60,0000 thoughts a day. It is said that a majority of the thoughts we have today are the same ones we had yesterday, and the day before that and so on. So, if I were to ask you, “Does your thinking express itself as a familiar habitual pattern, such as worrying or feeling stressed, agitated or keeping busy?” Do you have personal thinking that appears to define who you are, i.e. I’m an anxious person or I’m a worrier? Are your thoughts preventing you from feeling motivated? Do your emotions fluctuate throughout the day?
Glass half empty or half full?
If I were to ask you how you view your life in general using a metaphor of a glass of water. Would you see it as half full or half empty?
My definition of seeing life as half full would be trying to see the positive in everything and any situation I encounter. As opposed to half empty which would mean to me seeing the negative and worst possible outcome in any situation or experience.
I don't think there's an area of my life that CBT hasn't improved. Before CBT it was like my own brain was tormenting me, stuck looping on these horrible, painful thoughts keeping me trapped and miserable in a world I was creating. After CBT I feel much happier, lighter, more resilient, all of my relationships have improved (not just the one I wanted help with), my work and stress levels have improved, I feel more emotionally stable and I knew I was going to say this - but I wish I'd done it sooner! It's been quite amazing how much it's improved my quality of life so quickly.
C.N.
I would describe you as a very patient, understanding, caring, lovely therapist. Everything a good therapist should be really! I appreciated that you used humour in our sessions and I felt comfortable talking to you. I would recommend you to anyone that was thinking about getting CBT.
C.N
The work we have done has had an impact on myself which has bettered my standard of life. The way this has happened is by changing how I see life and the beliefs that was ingrained in my, my thoughts and feelings against them. By challenging my beliefs, it changed my thoughts and feelings of what I used to think and feel about certain things. This freed my mind from worry and doubt, which created space in my head, to enjoy the present time and be more open minded about everything, i.e. what was happening now and in the future. The stress I used to have that was attached to old beliefs, the worry and unhealthy thoughts, really drained me and stopped me from moving forward with my life. I kept repeating old behaviours and was going round in circles, getting very frustrated. It’s so nice now to just live my life without all these worries and stresses.