EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITISATION REPROCESSING for children

What is EMDR?

Dr Natasha Wallace is trained in EMDR for children and young people (for more about EMDR and EMDR for adults click here).

EMDR is usually associated with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, it is a therapy approach which is used to treat any disturbing or distressing life event. For children, it is especially good at treating BIG traumas (such as abuse, violence, Loss, major accidents) but is also extremely effective for treating LITTLE traumas (such as bullying, change in schools, divorce, an embarrassment, impact of COVID).

Helping get rid of distressing feelings

how Does EMDR work?

When a person has experiences a traumatic or upsetting event the brain is unable to full process what is going on. The memory becomes 'stuck'. When reminders occur, the 'stuck' memory is triggered and the person re-experience the emotional distress that they felt as though it is happening in the present.

EMDR helps the brain 'unstick' and reprocess the memory properly and aims to desensitise the person to the emotional impact of the memory. The person will be able to think about the memory without it being so distressing to them.

Eye Movements, Tapping, Sounds

how is EMDR different for Children?

As with adults, EMDR with children involves moving their eyes from side to side to stimulate the brain. However, this can be adapted depending on the developmental stage the child is in (ie. their age) and in order to aid with engagement. For example, finger puppets may be worn when doing eye movements, tapping on the arms, shoulders or legs, alternatively tapping their feet on a ball, squeezing the hands of a teddy etc. These are a few examples; however, the variations are endless and we can work together to think about what would be best for your child.

Contact us today if you would like to discuss EMDR for your child further.
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