First Hospice in the UK to offer EMDR Therapy for complex grief

Our Psychosocial team are leading the way in innovative grief support.

Providing EMDR therapy, patients and bereaved loved ones are being supported to process their complex grief and trauma.

For some people, immense feelings of loss can be debilitating and without improvement over time. This is known as complex grief or persistent complex bereavement disorder, a form of PTSD. In such cases, painful emotions can become so severe that one has trouble recovering after their loss.

The mind can often heal itself naturally, in the same way the body does. Much of this healing occurs during sleep, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) utilises this natural healing ability to stimulate memory, so connections can be made for the brain to process the information differently.

Using rapid eye movements is believed to relieve the distress associated with the trauma, for the original traumatic event to be viewed from a more detached perspective.

EMDR equipment includes a light bar paired with small devices, such as tappers or pulsars, controlled by an experienced counsellor specifically trained in the therapy.

The counsellor taps into the necessary messages and series of questions for the brain to begin to process. This therapy enables patients to reframe the original trauma (reprocessing), and to release the body’s stored negative emotional charges around it (desensitisation). The brain is then able to integrate and adapt the experience, allowing the negative, painful emotions to give way to more resolved, empowered feelings.

“Through EMDR, we have seen patients able to think of their loved ones with joy for the first time without the consumption of grief, guilt or trauma. Seeing the positive results has been a great privilege for me and our team, and life changing for many of our patients.”

Cecilie Sasu
Patient & Family Counsellor
and EMDR Accredited Therapist

Donate today to help us continue providing psychological support services.

Show your support