EMDR Therapy Sydney: Unlocking Healing and Transformation

Welcome to our EMDR Therapy Sydney centre, where we focus in unlocking healing through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

EMDR therapy, is a powerful journey toward healing your emotional distress and symptoms like anxiety, panic, and depression resulting from trauma. Come and experience EMDR Therapy in Sydney.

Trauma isn’t always overt, such as assault or a near-death experience; it can also manifest subtly but have profound effects on the mind and body.

Mary: “My upbringing with an absent father and emotionally distant mother left a deeper impact than the almost fatal accident I had at 19. The constant feeling of being a burden, mistrust, and an unsafe environment hindered my ability to confide in others. It was like “dying from a thousand cuts. I suffered from severe social anxiety, bulimia and struggled with alcoholism.”

Understanding EMDR: More Than a Technique

AT EMDR therapy Sydney EMDR isn’t just a technique; it’s a therapy protocol that includes techniques like rapid eye movements, tapping and physical movements to cause bilateral brain stimulation. Anchored in the adaptive information processing model, it navigates how we make sense of new experiences based on existing memory networks.

What is the EMDR adaptive information processing model in simple terms?

Imagine your brain as a filing system. When you experience something, your brain files it away, like memories stored in folders. However, sometimes, especially with challenging experiences, some files get messy and cause emotional distress.

EMDR Therapy helps reorganise these files. It’s like removing the messy folder, cleaning it up, and putting it back neatly. Rapid eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation assist in this process during EMDR therapy. It’s about making sense of past experiences, discarding what’s not helpful, and transforming disturbing memories into healthier, integrated ones. EMDR is an evidence-based therapy that helps reduce emotional reactions and bring relief from the impact of traumatic events.

How do you implement the EMDR adaptive processing model in therapy?

At EMDR therapy in Sydney, I will help you identify relevant past experiences that are stored as a dysfunctional network of memories and are perpetuating unwanted emotional reactions like anger, depression and anxiety.

The beauty of EMDR is that it is not talking therapy but rapid zoning in of relevant past experiences. I then work with you to look for common repetitive themes before selecting appropriate target areas to evoke memories, images, and sensations that can be reprocessed and desensitised.

What if I only feel a terrible emotion and can’t remember a specific event that caused it? Will EMDR Therapy work?

Yes, at EMDR Therapy in Sydney, you and I can work with only the emotion, even if you don’t have a specific event you can remember that may have caused it. Sometimes, it is an accumulation of minor emotional insults over a lifetime. It could also be when events have occurred before the age of four or in utero. The brain is still growing before age four, so we often can’t remember specific events from that time. However, we can still feel emotions tied to those experiences. It’s like having the feelings without recalling the details.

Observable Benefits of EMDR

EMDR therapy makes noticeable changes as it deals with troublesome memories, turning them into regular, manageable ones. This shift often leads to fewer intense physical reactions, defensiveness, and unsettling thoughts connected to past events. As harmful patterns get addressed, people gain a wiser outlook on their past and respond more effectively. At EMDR Therapy Sydney, I will support you in acquiring new skills and replacing old habits that hold you back.

The Goal of EMDR Therapy in Sydney: Transforming Disturbing Memories

The goal of EMDR Therapy is to address everyday problems rooted in disempowering maladaptive memories. Using natural neural processes, EMDR transforms these memories into adaptive ones, empowering you to overcome triggers and live more positively.

EMDR Case Study – Explosive Anger and Addiction

Mark is a 35-year-old father with two young kids and a wife. His explosive anger outbursts were frightening for his family. He felt helpless to change and would use alcohol and weed to numb his guilt and feelings of being overwhelmed.

Assessment:

Mark’s trauma – witnessing his father’s fatal accident in childhood – spurred a harmful pattern of substance misuse and damaged relationships.

EMDR Therapy:

In six EMDR sessions, Mark processed his father’s accident and lost childhood as he had to step up as the “man of the house” at 8. EMDR therapy included EMDR 2.0 and Flash technique to reduce Mark’s physical responses, defensiveness, and crippling core belief “the world is a dangerous place”.

Through this process, Mark began to confront and manage the emotional weight tied to his traumatic memories.

Outcome:

Mark experienced a significant change in his reactions to life’s difficulties; now less volatile, he could walk away or breathe through conflict. He noticed his perspective had changed. For instance he felt less overwhelmed when the company he worked for went under, finding a better job in two months. He regained control over his substance misuse, bringing a noticeable shift in his overall health.

Recognising Healing: How to Know You’re No Longer Traumatised

You will know when you have moved beyond trauma when you can describe or think about past events with minimal emotional and physical sensations in the present. This means that the once maladaptive stored memory evolves into an adaptive one, becoming just another story in life. You may notice that you no longer go from zero to 100 when someone close triggers you. You may feel less anxious, or when you hear bad news, you feel less down and recover quickly.

Ease Amid Fears: What if I Get EMDR Therapy Wrong?

Fear of getting EMDR wrong is common but unfounded. At EMDR Therapy in Sydney it is my responsibility as and Accredited EMDR therapist to guide you through the process, adjusting techniques as needed. Accredited EMDR practitioners undergo extensive training and have thousands of hours of experience. They are there to ensure a supportive environment for your unique journey.

How does EMDR Therapy help?

EMDR therapy is well-known for helping with PTSD, but it’s also useful for other issues. Studies show it can help people with depression, Complex PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, psychosis, problems with substance use, OCD, and chronic pain. It’s also helpful for children and teenagers, and can be used early on when problems start. This shows that EMDR therapy can be a helpful tool for many different mental health issues.

How do you find good Accredited EMDR Therapy in Sydney?

Embark on the transformative journey of EMDR Therapy in Sydney, where less becomes more, understanding deepens, and healing unfolds.

Contact us today to schedule your personalised EMDR session and begin your journey towards a healthier, happier you. Click here or call me on 99082950 to book your appointment now

People often call and ask me to recommend EMDR therapists when my waitlist is full. I have written a post, especially for this: How to find a good EMDR therapist Step by Step