ADVANCED METHODS CAN NOW ACHIEVE WHAT PSYCHOANALYSIS AND COUNSELLING CAN’T. TIME IS SAVED AND THE RESULTS DO NOT FADE
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is recommended in the UK by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) as the most effective treatment for chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. NICE also provides guidance on which methods should be avoided.
EMDR sees brains as running information processing systems, which manage our life experience, learning, filtering and filing as it goes. In cases of trauma, these systems have broken down and memories remain unprocessed. That’s why they continue to feel vivid and alive, no matter how long ago they were.
Using a clearly defined but apparently simple technique, the bilateral movement of the eyes to the left and right, the brain picks up the processing that has been left undone, and thereby helps itself to achieve control over the influence of the past and its reaction to it. Neurologically this is essentially a physical process, like replacing some highly out of date or misleading software. The healthy changes to the brain are visible under scanning, and the direct effect of EMDR on the brain is likely to be one of the reasons it works so rapidly.
Traumatic memories aren’t just stored in the brain. The body can absorb them too, like memory foam. You may be unaware that you feel anxious, but notice backache or feel churned up. If you're depressed, you may lack energy and find concentrating difficult without knowing why. Effective treatment for trauma must, as EMDR does, address both the psychological and physical aspects of PTSD.
Newer methods are also increasingly being used. Neurofeedback observes brainwave activity and encourages it to change so that you may feel more relaxed, or calm down quicker from a stressful situation.
Biofeedback has the same effect but, as its name implies, this approach reads physical indicators such as heart rate and muscle tension. The term “coherence” is used to describe heart health, and in improving it, profound psychological benefit also occur.
These new methods of are supported by an increasing volume of research. Put simply: you can be free of the psycho-physiological disruption caused by Boarding School Trauma when the right treatment is used.