All you need to know about EMDR for CPTSD and relationship issues

EMDR for early and recent trauma, PTSD, relationship problems, blockages, anxiety, OCD, panic and anxiety

EMDR is an evidence-based therapy, originally used for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) where it proofed to be highly effective within just a handful of sessions. Meanwhile, a more and more exciting research shows that EMDR can also be successfully applied to a wide range of problems: Complex trauma (EMDR for CPTSD and relationship issues), anxiety (panic, social anxiety, phobias, health anxiety), chronic pain, insomnia, blockages, performance anxiety, but also for depression and problems with relationships (attachment styles, trust issues, fear of abandonment), including personality disorders such as BPD. 

I have been using various forms of EMDR for many years now. I usually combine it with EFT, in order to create an intense and therefore rather quick access to emotional processing. Attachment-Focused EMDR is another very powerful approach to work on the roots of presentations like OCD, depression and deep-rooted anxiety.

EMDR for improving relationships:

EMDR can also be used to change unhelpful relationship patterns (often related to attachment styles) 

The Flash Technique is an exciting new and very quick and gentle way of targeting trauma memories. I am a registered The Flash Technique practitioner.

Improving low self-esteem and self-criticism with EMDR:

Addressing that critical inner voice that undermines your self-esteem only with talk therapy often seems pointless. EMDR techniques can be much more effective in getting through to that place, where those devastating beliefs are held.

Becoming more resilient with EMDR:

Besides traumatic or upsetting memories and blockages, EMDR also focusses on activating and building up your strengths and your believe in yourself.

This is particularly helpful for overcoming social anxiety, fears around OCD and the avoidance that comes with PTSD and complex trauma.

EMDR for couples:

Couples conflicts are often relationship problems that get fuelled by each partner's personal history, such as unhelpful auto-pilot responses, stemming from much earlier experiences. EMDR can be used in couples therapy to work on strong emotional responses.

How does EMDR work?

EMDR very much targets the processes in the brain itself: The rapid eye movements (or other ways of bilateral stimulation), similar to REM-sleep, get the brain into a processing mode where associations get activated and eventually the ‘freeze’ (feeling of being stuck, blocked, etc.) dissolves.

What is The Flash Technique?

The Flash Technique (FT) is a newly developed, evidence-based therapeutic intervention aimed at decreasing the disturbance linked to traumatic or distressing memories. Unlike traditional trauma therapy methods, FT is minimally intrusive and does not necessitate the client's conscious engagement with the traumatic memory. This enables clients to process traumatic memories without experiencing distress. As a supplement to the EMDR preparation phase or any exposure-based treatment, it allows for the processing of memories that might otherwise be intolerable or overwhelming for the client.

(more information on FT)

I am an accredited Flash Technique practitioner, trained by Dr. Philipp Manfield.

Can EMDR be used on blurred memories, or trauma I don't really remember (like very early attachment trauma)?

Yes, EMDR can use whatever fragmented memory is there - this might be as little as a sound, smell, body sensation, an insult said in a certain tone of voice. Or even your representation of what happened when you were very little (pre-verbal memories of separation, mental illness in a parent, hospital stays, physical abuse,...). Attachment-focused EMDR offers powerful protocols to work with very early traumatic experiences.

More Questions?

Reach out to to learn more about how I work:

Pop a quick email and I'll be right back