EMDR and trauma therapy in Dubai

Who is EMDR for?

EMDR is mainly used for PTSD. PTSD can follow a frightening event, such as a road accident, a serious health scare or a difficult birth. Common signs include:

• the event coming back as unwanted memories or nightmares
• keeping away from places, people or thoughts that bring it back
• feeling on edge, or jumpy
• trouble sleeping or concentrating

Adults. UK guidance from NICE recommends EMDR for many adults with PTSD, when symptoms last more than three months after an event. It can be considered sooner, from one month, if you'd prefer it.

Children and teenagers. For young people, NICE suggests trauma-focused CBT first. Our psychologists for children and teenagers will suggest the therapy that fits.

Worry that isn't linked to an event. If your anxiety didn't start with something that happened, CBT is usually the first step. See anxiety treatment.

Low mood can come along with trauma too. Our page on low mood and depression explains how we help. Whatever brings you, your therapist checks at the start whether EMDR is right for you.

What happens in EMDR?

EMDR happens in stages, at a pace you agree with your therapist.

1. Getting ready. Your first appointment is about getting to know you. Your therapist asks how things are for you now, and checks that EMDR fits. You learn about common reactions to trauma. You also practise ways to calm yourself when feelings run high. Work on a memory only starts when you both feel ready. As in any therapy at British Premier, you decide how much to share.

2. Working with a memory. You and your therapist choose a memory to start with. You hold it in mind while following the side-to-side movements, in short rounds. Between rounds, you pause and say what you notice.

3. Checking in. At the end of each session, you check how you feel and plan the next step.

For what any first therapy session is like, see therapy and counselling in Dubai.

How long does EMDR take?

EMDR is a course of sessions, not a single visit. How many you need depends on what happened, and how it affects you now. UK guidance notes that people who have been through more than one traumatic event may need more sessions. You and your therapist talk this through at the start, and review it as you go.

How are our EMDR therapists trained?

When you choose an EMDR therapist, it's fair to ask about their training. UK guidance says EMDR should be given by trained practitioners.

Ms Ghania Kabbara is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist. EMDRIA is the EMDR International Association, based in the USA. Ghania is a member of EMDR associations in Lebanon and the USA. She is a clinical psychologist with more than 15 years' experience, and works mainly with CBT and EMDR.

Dr Graham Williams is a UK-trained clinical psychologist with more than 20 years in practice. He is trained in EMDR, CBT and DBT. In NHS child and adolescent services in England, he became the service lead for trauma. He also trains and supervises other psychologists.

Other trauma therapies we offer

EMDR isn't the only way to work with trauma. Your therapist will talk through the options with you.

CBT for trauma. UK guidance from NICE also recommends trauma-focused CBT. It's a form of CBT that looks at the event, what it means to you now, and the patterns it has left behind. All five of our psychologists see people after trauma, and each offers CBT therapy.

Body-based approaches. One of our psychologists also uses body-based approaches after trauma and difficult life events. These pay attention to the body and the nervous system, as well as to thoughts and feelings.

Children and teenagers. Our psychologists see children from 5, and support teenagers and adults after trauma too.

A doctor's view. If a medical review could help, our psychiatrists work in the same clinic. They see children, teenagers and adults. See psychiatry in Dubai.