If you are a practicing therapist then you will know better than most how difficult and convoluted it can be to treat clients suffering with emotional or psychological trauma. Whilst issues of this kind are not limited to any one ‘type’ of person, the symptoms which characterise them are fairly consistent. Indeed, aspects such as depression, flashbacks, insomnia, numbness and anxiety are often key indicators that an individual is suffering in just such a way.

Obviously, you as a professional will want to do all you can to help anyone who is unfortunate enough to display these signs and symptoms. However, you may not know for sure what the best way is to go about this, particularly if you have only just recently come into the profession or are dubious of the effectiveness of some of the more widely accepted practices.

If you are someone who actively questions the validity of treating mental trauma then you are to be applauded. Indeed, an open mind can be an incredibly powerful ally, especially when it is used to try and establish treatment solutions which will genuinely help patients get better.

So where should you start?

Well where better than at the beginning?

Establishing a Cause
The first thing you need to establish when treating psychological or emotional trauma is the cause; the catalyst. Not that long ago, it was widely believed that only people who had been involved in military combat suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); needless to say, this theory has been comprehensively debunked over the last few decades. Now that we understand more about how the mind works, we know that mental trauma can be triggered by any number of distressing events. Indeed, everything from car accidents and marriage breakdowns to incidents of child abuse and rape can all having the potential to adversely affect an individual’s long-term mental and emotional well-being.

Proffering an Effective Treatment
Whilst there are a number of different psychological treatments that can be used to treat individuals with this kind of trauma, few are as effective as EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing). This innovative form of treatment is quite revolutionary as it involves using cognitive behavioural processing in conjunction with left-right eye movements to reduce or eliminate the negative connotations patients associate with certain memories. In essence it works by asking a patient to move his eyes whilst thinking about the traumatic event which upsets him. When done correctly, this can stimulate the brain in such a way as to enable an individual to process their traumatic memories more effectively, eventually even overcoming their more upsetting aspects.

Learning EMDR
Being able to offer EMDR treatment gives you access to an invaluable ally that can make the world of difference to your patient’s emotional state. But how do you go about learning EMDR? Well the answer is actually very simple, you book yourself onto one of our EMDR training courses here at EMDR Works.

Call now to find out more.