EMDR for Mothers
Becoming a mother can bring up unexpected emotions, particularly if you have experienced trauma or PTSD, perhaps following a difficult or traumatic birth. For some mothers, this may also be a time when you want to explore more deeply why you feel or respond in certain ways, perhaps connected to experiences from childhood or generational trauma. EMDR can help you gently process these experiences, understand where your reactions come from, and develop new ways of responding.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful, evidence based therapy designed to help people process and heal from distressing memories and trauma, as well as some other emotional presentations. EMDR is based on the idea that traumatic memories can become ‘stuck’ in the brain causing vivid memories, flashbacks and negative beliefs about yourself. EMDR combines guided eye movements or ‘bilateral stimulation’ to help your brain process and reduce the emotional charge associated with difficult memories. EMDR aims to reduce overwhelm with distressing memories; it is a NICE recommended treatment for trauma and PTSD which continues to help millions of people throughout the world.
you might be asking…
-
A difficult or traumatic birth can leave you feeling distressed or stuck replaying what happened over and over again. For some mothers, these experiences can lead to symptoms of PTSD, anxiety or a sense of fear around a future pregnancy or birth. Perhaps you are planning another baby and want to process your previous experience to help you feel more confident moving forwards. This is where EMDR can help, by gently supporting you to process these distressing memories and reduce the emotional impact they continue to have.
-
A common concern for people considering EMDR is that they will have to revisit every detail of a distressing experience for EMDR to be effective. However, you are not required to talk through your trauma in depth or relive every moment. Instead, it focuses on helping your brain process the memories and emotions that are still affecting you today. Together, we will work at a pace that feels safe for you, exploring the experiences that feel important and helping you develop a different relationship with those memories.
-
Becoming a parent can sometimes bring up feelings, memories or reactions that you weren’t expecting, and you might find yourself wondering why you are acting this way. It is possible that your own childhood experiences have shaped how you parent and EMDR can help you process this. By working through your own past, you can your own behaviours more, and make positive changes.
-
Trauma patterns can be passed down through immediate families or generations. As a mother, you may be questioning why you parent the way you do, or react to situations in certain ways. EMDR can help you explore where certain patterns of behaviour come from. By gaining a deeper understanding of yourself and your past, you can begin to create new ways of responding.