Find a Way to Remember Without Reliving
EMDR Therapy
Does the past have a way of reaching into your present, a conversation, a sound, a place, an unexpected reminder, bringing back fear, tension, images or emotions before you've had time to make sense of what's happening?
At Aura Mind Clinic, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, commonly known as EMDR, offers a structured way to work with distressing memories and the thoughts, emotions and physical responses connected to them.
EMDR Therapy
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured psychological therapy used particularly in the treatment of trauma and PTSD. During parts of EMDR, you may bring conversations of a distressing memory to mind while engaging in bilateral stimulation. This can involve guided side-to-side eye movements, alternating tapping or sounds.
EMDR does not aim to erase a memory or convince you that what happened was insignificant. Instead, therapy works with the distress associated with the experience so that remembering it may become less overwhelming and less disruptive to life in the present.
What Is EMDR Used For?
EMDR has particularly strong evidence as a trauma-focused treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It may also be considered when distressing experiences from the past continue to influence current emotions, behaviours or reactions. Whether EMDR is appropriate depends on the individual, the nature of the difficulty, and readiness for trauma-focused work.
EMDR therapy may be considered when working with:
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PTSD & Trauma
Memories, nightmares, triggers or heightened reactions following traumatic experiences.
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Distressing Memories
Past events that continue to bring strong emotional or physical responses.
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Complex Trauma
Difficulties associated with repeated, prolonged or multiple distressing experiences.
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Fear & Anxiety Linked to Past Experiences
Situations where an earlier experience appears to contribute to present-day fear or avoidance.
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Difficult Life or Medical Experiences
Accidents, frightening medical experiences or other events that continue to feel emotionally unresolved.
EMDR is not automatically the right therapy for every concern. Assessment comes first.
When Mind and Body Both Remember
Difficult experiences may be remembered through more than words.
You might notice an image appearing suddenly, tension in your body, a rapid heartbeat, a strong urge to leave, emotional numbness or a feeling that seems much larger than the present situation.
EMDR recognises that a stressful memory can trigger thoughts, emotions, images, beliefs and physical sensations. The formal EMDR process even includes attention to bodily sensations as part of its structured phases.
At Aura Mind Clinic, trauma therapy takes a whole-person approach, considering not only the memory itself but also how your experiences may affect your emotional wellbeing, physical responses, relationships and everyday life.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
EMDR involves briefly attending to aspects of a distressing experience while bilateral stimulation is used.
As therapy progresses, you may notice changes in the thoughts, emotions, images or sensations associated with the memory. Although EMDR is still being unfolded and thoroughly studied, it does provide a structured way of approaching difficult memories while attention is shared between the experience and the present therapeutic environment. Aura Mind Clinic paves a sensible way for you to unwind from difficult memories with structured EMDR therapy in Perth.
A Common Concern
Do I Have to Talk About My Trauma in Detail?
EMDR does not require you to verbally retell every part of a traumatic experience. Enough information is still needed to understand what you're experiencing and provide EMDR safely, but processing can focus on the memory and its associated emotions, beliefs and sensations, rather than repeatedly recounting the entire event.
During processing, you may notice:
- Emotions becoming more noticeable
- Memories or images appearing
- Changes in physical sensations
- New thoughts or perspectives
- The intensity of a memory shifting
- Little obvious change at first.
Why Choose Aura Mind Clinic for EMDR Therapy in Perth?
Aura Mind Clinic offers individual EMDR therapy in Perth with an emphasis on personalised, trauma-informed care. Therapy begins with understanding you. Aura provides comfortable and personalised sessions that do not immediately ask you to revisit your most difficult experience. Ann considers your current concerns, history, emotional responses, physical sensations, relationships and wider life circumstances when planning therapy.
EMDR may also sit alongside other therapeutic approaches where appropriate, rather than being treated as the only available option. The aim is to create a therapeutic process that respects both where you have been and where you are now. With Aura Mind Clinic’s broader view of wellbeing, we assure a safe, confidential space for you to face the darker pages of your life and rewrite them.
