In this episode, Wendy is joined by Caroline Van Diest a senior EMDR trainer and CBT therapist who also uses techniques from IFS and ACT. She explains how EMDR helps people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress from their past that are influencing their nervous system.

Using examples Caroline demystifies EMDR and explains why it works so well and is also effective for neurodivergent individuals.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If you are struggling with trauma consider EMDR.
• Any past adverse experience that causes distress now can be at the root of trauma.
• EMDR helps people remember what happened to them and learn how to process that differently so that it no longer causes distress.
• Individuals who are neurodivergent can benefit from EMDR.
• EMDR is effective for a range of conditions, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
• EMDR does not involve hypnosis. The client tracking the therapist’s hand creates bilateral stimulation that enables the brain to process experiences differently and file them away.
• EMDR is not just memory processing.
• Online  EMDR works well when it is done right.
• IFS and ACT techniques can easily be integrated into EMDR.
• Many people feel ashamed that they need therapy, they need help to heal from that shame.

BEST MOMENTS

“Really  trauma is about how you experience something and how you're still experiencing it.”

“Emotions become less intense, less vivid, images become blurry and filed away. They don’t have the same charge to them.”

“EMDR … can work alongside with and in conjunction with other types of therapies.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Caroline Van Diest is a Senior EMDR Europe Accredited Trainer at Mindsync EMDR Training. With over a decade of experience, she has delivered numerous trainings on adapting CBT and EMDR therapies for neurodivergent clients and presented at EMDR UK Conferences. She co-authored a chapter in Psychological Therapies for Adults with Autism D and appeared on Russell Hurn’s EMDR UK Association podcast. 

She leads the Neurodiversity & EMDR Special Interest Group, supporting therapists across the UK. In private practice (Synthesa Therapy), she works with children and adults with neurodiversity to offer passionate, client-centred therapy and supervision.

https://synthesatherapy.nl 

https://mindsyncemdrtraining.com

https://www.emdria.org/ 

Annabel McGoldrick - https://emdrinsight.com/about-annabel 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com  

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino 

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798  

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino  

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com