Tapping into the benefits of EMDR

Did you know that your mind has the power to heal from trauma as naturally as your body heals a wound?

This ability can be unlocked through EMDR Therapy.

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing and involves bilateral stimulation to help people process and reframe traumatic memories and experiences.

“EMDR therapy is different from traditional talk therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, because instead of just discussing painful experiences, it helps rewire how our brain and body store traumatic memories,” Rosewood Centre Psychologist Kassandra Reed said.

“It does this through a process called bilateral stimulation, which often involves following a therapist’s finger or a light bar with your eyes while recalling a distressing event.

“Other methods, such as tapping or sound cues can also be used to support this.”

The therapy can be effective for people who have difficulty processing or letting go of previous experiences that have caused or continue to elicit an emotional response.

“When we experience negative events, the brain sometimes fails to process the memory correctly, leaving it “stuck” in a way that keeps triggering emotional distress,” Kassandra said.

“EMDR helps our brain reprocess these memories, making them feel less intense and more like a past event rather than something that’s still happening.

“Over time, the distress fades and negative beliefs – like “I am not safe” or “It was my fault” –can be replaced with healthier, more positive ones and all those uncomfortable body sensations can be replaced with calmness.”

As an EMDR therapist, Kassandra has witnessed some amazing changes in her clients.

“Getting to see people no longer feel so much distress, be able to say out loud that it wasn’t their fault or that they are loveable and truly believe, it is a wonderful thing,” she said.

“I have seen people become more confident, think much more positively about themselves, be able to put healthy boundaries in place and let go of people that no longer have a place in their life.

“I have witnessed people shed the weight of years of guilt or shame that never belonged to them.

“EMDR can be helpful for people with phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it has been fantastic watching people enjoy life in ways they hadn’t been able to before because of those unhelpful beliefs or distressing thoughts and feelings.”

Kassandra is planning on helping many more people through EMDR after being recently accredited in the therapy.

In 2019, when undertaking a 40-hour Level 1 Basic Training course, Kassandra knew she wanted to learn more.

At the time, she was in a previous role that wasn’t the right environment, so it took a couple more years and getting a job at The Rosewood Centre to complete Level 2 and the 10 hours of consultation to finish the Basic Training Program.

“I continued using EMDR with clients and was noticing some really positive changes, but it wasn’t until I attended Seva Training’s advanced Level 1 Relational Integrative EMDR (RI-EMDR) training in 2023 that I thought about becoming an accredited practitioner,” Kassandra said.

“This training incorporates a trauma and attachment focus and changed the way I worked with EMDR.”

The accreditation is quite the undertaking. To do this, a therapist needs to have completed EMDR Basic Training, had at least one year of working as an EMDR therapist with over 25 clients and 50 hours of sessions, and another 10 hours of consultation with a consultant observing their work and providing a letter of recommendation.

“While I was working towards my practitioner accreditation, I also completed level 2 of the RI-EMDR training so I’m also an advanced RI-EMDR practitioner. I’ve already started working towards becoming an accredited consultant, which is a whole other process, but I’m really looking forward to it,” Kassandra said.

“I see how EMDR changes lives and I want to be a part of that journey for more people in our community.”