Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form of short term psychological therapy supporting individuals to overcome current emotional problems. It is an evidence based talking therapy which is recommended by NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) for the treatment of common mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression.
Within CBT we understand that there are relationships between the way we think (cognitions), what we do (behaviour) and how we feel both emotionally and physically. Sometimes we can find ourselves stuck in patterns of negative thinking and unhelpful ways of coping, both of which might be contributing to or exacerbating our distress. CBT makes sense of these relationships, identifying what vicious cycles you might be stuck in. With this information we work together to identify tools and coping strategies to help break these negative cycles thus enabling you to feel differently and move towards your goals.
CBT focuses on the here and now, helping you to make sense of what is going on in the present and supporting you to discover tools to manage things differently. We may however explore your past experiences to understand how these may have influenced how you now interpret the world.
Further information about CBT can be found using the following link:
https://www.babcp.com/public/what-is-cbt.aspx
Vicious Cycle
Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is a psychological therapy supporting individuals to overcome psychological disturbance as a result of traumatic or distressing events that have occurred in ones life. It is recognised by NICE as an evidence based treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other anxiety disorders.
Sometimes when an individual experiences a traumatic event, it can be too overwhelming for the brain to process fully at the time and consequently it gets stored incorrectly in the mind. The memory of the event remains unprocessed and stuck which may result in experiencing a range of problems such as anxiety, depression, feeling on edge, nightmares, intrusive images and memories of the traumatic event and even feeling as though the event is happening again. We can feel trapped and unable to move forward from what has happened.
EMDR aims to support you to reprocess the ‘stuck’ memories so that they are less intrusive, intense, vivid and distressing when recalled. Furthermore the process helps to desensitise the emotional impact of the memory and reduce the level of distress and symptoms mentioned above. One of the goals being that you may now recall the event without feeling overwhelmed by this memory.
The sessions involve recalling the traumatic event whilst following the therapists hand with your eye movements from side to side (eg left to right). Alternatively you may follow sounds in each ear or a tap on each hand. This process is thought to stimulate the brains processing system helping you reprocess the memory and reducing the symptoms. Research suggests this process may be similar to what occurs during our sleep cycles, when we enter REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). During this stage of sleep we process events that have occurred during the day, storing them appropriately into our brains memory.
Further information about EMDR can be found using the following link:
https://emdrassociation.org.uk/a-unique-and-powerful-therapy/emdr-the-basics/