Evidence-Based EMDR Therapy in Sydney
Seeking EMDR Therapy from a reliable and experienced therapist in Sydney?
Stephen Jacobs’ EMDR Therapy private practice in Surry Hills NSW and in Concord NSW can help.
For those who are new to the concept, EMDR (or Eye Movement Desensitisation & Processing) Therapy is a powerful evidence-based therapy used to treat psychological conditions linked to past challenging or traumatic events that are impacting your present daily life. EMDR therapy can help clients overcome their life challenges and restore a quality of life that is no longer dictated by a challenging past.
Stephen Jacobs is a psychotherapist specialising in EMDR therapy in Sydney for trauma-related issues. Stephen sees clients in Concord on Mondays, and in Surry Hills on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (Telehealth consultations are available for remote clients).
At EMDR Therapy, Stephen offers an initial exploratory call to discuss whether you might benefit from EMDR Therapy in Sydney, based on your individual circumstances. Click here to book a call.
Watch this video from the EMDR International Association to find out more about EMDR Therapy in Sydney, what it involves and how it can help you
Can EMDR therapy help me?
Many of us have experienced challenging life events, from early childhood to adulthood – this is the nature of life. For many of us, the default integration processes of our brain store challenging life events into learning experiences, which become resources to help us make better future decisions.
However, for others, the challenging life events are not processed adaptively. In childhood, we may have been too young to understand or not have had the safety or care needed to cope and integrate. Later in life as teenagers or adults, the lack of healthy psychological resources meant that the childhood baggage continued to interfere, and in the present still keeps us from enjoying life.
Anxiety disorders, mood disorders, pain/chronic pain and substance abuse are all symptoms of our baggage. These disorders are manifestations of the unhealthy processing of unresolved life experiences, and many of us often feel powerless or unable to free ourselves from their influence.
EMDR therapy is not talk therapy. The process is often quicker than traditional talk therapy, with a minimum of four to five sessions for simpler cases. EMDR specifically targets unhealthy memories of challenging experiences and stimulates the brain to re-engage the processes needed to transform these experiences into healthy integrated memories.
How does EMDR therapy work?
Trauma affects the way memories are stored in the brain – traumatic events are known to trigger the automatic “fight or flight” response to perceived danger. When the brain is overloaded and cannot make immediate sense of the event, the information processing system is disrupted and the memory is fragmented in a way that keeps re-emerging in the present. Painful images, sensations, feelings, and thoughts associated with the traumatic event may seem to be frozen into the present.
Over several sessions, the EMDR process aims to reduce the sensitivity to the traumatic memory’s painful thoughts and feelings – the emotional charge associated with the traumatic memory is reduced or eliminated.
EMDR International Association
The EMDR International Association provides evidence-based research for various presentations including:
• Trauma • Childhood Trauma • Disturbing Memories • Anxiety • Panic Attacks • Phobias • Peak Performance
Finding the right EMDR therapist in Sydney
Clients for whom psychotherapy has not produced a positive outcome may not have been working with the right match for their specific needs.
Psychotherapists, counsellors, hypnotherapists and psychologists are highly skilled mental health professionals who have been trained to connect with and treat a wide range of clients without discriminating. However, you may not connect with a particular therapist or feel comfortable enough to allow such a personal process to unfold. Gender, age and culture can play a role, or it may be that the therapist’s treatment orientation may not be the right match.
When looking for a suitable therapist, it’s recommended that you interview several therapists, start discussing your issues, explore how the therapists work and how they can help you. Then you can make a more informed decision and pick the right therapist for your specific needs and circumstances.
At EMDR Therapy in Sydney, Stephen offers an initial 20-minute call at no charge, to help you make an informed therapist choice.
Get in touch
To arrange an initial consultation with Stephen Jacobs for evidence-based EMDR Therapy in Sydney, don’t hesitate to book a consultation online today.
Book your free introductory 15-minute call
