TALKWORKS service user shares how EMDR changed her life
TALKWORKS service user, Sara, has shared how accessing eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy helped her to recover after developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), following an incident on Dartmoor.
In the short film, Sara speaks about how she felt before she contacted TALKWORKS and the difficulties that she was experiencing. She then shares how EMDR helped her to process the trauma so that she could get back to doing the things that she previously enjoyed. She describes how since receiving EMDR therapy she is 'much happier in life' and that the therapy was 'so beneficial' to her.
What does EMDR therapy look like at TALKWORKS?
EMDR is used within our service to treat non-complex PTSD, in line with current NICE guidelines. It is a time-limited therapy and may be an option for people experiencing intrusive thoughts, memories, nightmares or flashbacks of traumatic events in their past.
If we think EMDR could be beneficial to you, your clinician will discuss the option of EMDR with you at your initial assessment, before matching you with an EMDR therapist if we feel it is the best placed treatment to help with your difficulties. EMDR is not recommended for all difficulties, so if your therapist does not think that EMDR will help you, they will speak to you about our other therapy and support that's available through TALKWORKS, or they may signpost you to a different service that is better placed to help.
What happens during an EMDR session?
During an EMDR session, your TALKWORKS therapist will help you talk through the difficult event that is impacting you. You will be asked to think about a picture or memory from the event, the thoughts you have about it, how that makes you feel and any physical feelings in your body.
The actual EMDR processing phase usually involves eye movements, but sometimes tapping may be used. Each session will typically last between 60 to 90 minutes. Your therapist will ask you to think about the memory while following the eye movements or tapping. After each set, they will ask what you noticed. Your therapist may ask a question or ask you to speak more about what you have noticed and may continue with the eye movements or tapping.
As EMDR enables the processing of traumatic events, often people describe feeling emotionally and physically tired after the session. It is important to practice relaxation techniques between your sessions.
How can I access EMDR through TALKWORKS?
All of the treatment and support through TALKWORKS, including EMDR, is available free of charge as we are an NHS service, part of Devon Partnership NHS Trust. In order to access help from TALKWORKS, you will need to self-refer to our service. You can do this by completing our online self-referral form or by calling our team on 0300 555 3344 (our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9:00am - 4:45pm).