I am writing this as we start to lift some of the lockdown restrictions in the UK that began in March 2020. I have not been working from my office and I have not been seeing my clients in person. Instead we have been meeting face to face through some kind of screen, whether that’s a phone, an iPad or a laptop. And I have been working from a makeshift office in the front room of my home.
Prior to the lockdown, I was doing a lot of my supervision work online. I use a platform called Zoom and I am able to meet with people from anywhere in the UK… well actually anywhere in the world too! So I had already developed some skills and confidence in using online platforms, I was so glad that I had already done this as I don’t see myself as being very good with the technology but generally I manage to get by!! So this is a big point for me, somehow we have to find the confidence to be brave and jump in and see how it works.
I had also seen 1 client to do EMDR online so I was raring to go! I believe that each person has got to make the decision for themselves about having their therapy using an online platform. Often it can feel like too big a hill to climb but it helps if we can break it down into smaller steps. You need access to the internet, a device (phone, tablet or laptop) and some privacy. To be honest with everyone being at home at the moment, the hardest thing can be to find a private space in your home where you can have your therapy session.
I have found that using earphones, having a room where you can shut the door and asking family not to interrupt can be helpful.
Like everything online therapy has its pros and cons. It can be nice to not physically have to get up, drive to a therapy office and then drive home again, so time wise it is more efficient for you. You are in your own space, often this can be comforting to you but also some people can feel a bit more exposed with the therapist invading your own private space, I am actually in your living room with you! Especially as sessions are often quite emotional, you could find it too intrusive.
In last weeks blog I explored what an EMDR session was like (https://drhannahbryan.com/2020/06/what-happens-in-an-emdr-session/). As most therapists work in person thinking about how it would work online was a big hurdle in the first few weeks of the lockdown. But EMDR can be done online. Most people have questions about how the bilateral stimulation works. The bilateral stimulation involves stimulating the right then the left side of the brain alternatively. When we work on line there are several different options. We can do this using the light bar (which you can follow on your screen). So I put my light bar in front of my computer screen and you follow the light from the right to the left side and then back again. We could do this by using a butterfly hug, crossing your arms across your chest and gently tapping along with me from side to side, or maybe tapping the table in front of you Some people download an app on their phone and will listen to alternating beeps. So there are lots of different ways in which you can do EMDR online. When I meet with my clients we explore the different ways we could do it.
We still don’t know when it will be safe to return to in person work so if you are having current difficulties that may benefit from EMDR. I would encourage you to explore options of working online as in my experience, I am finding that it works just as well as in person work. Please do book in a free consultation (link) to explore further
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