“It’s called Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing, a bit of a mouthful, I have actually had a little bit of this,” she explained on Friday.
“It’s not a million miles away from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, processes like this… Less to do with therapy where you talk about your childhood, it’s more practical.”
EMDR therapy, known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, is an interactive psychotherapy technique used to relieve psychological stress. It is an effective treatment for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A number of techniques are used – including stimulation of eye movements or hand tapping.
Kate’s world was turned upside down when her husband Derek Draper was admitted to hospital after contracting coronavirus in March last year. He was placed into an induced coma as his blood oxygen levels severely dropped.
Meanwhile, in a clip from the Apple TV+ documentary, Harry can be seen tapping his chest during an on-screen session – a treatment he says he’s had for “four of five years”.
Dr Amir explained: “People generally when they have had traumatic life experiences have a tendency to bury it away in their minds, and in their brains, and it stops them from healing.
“They then get things like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and what this therapy aims to do is unlock some of that.”
He added: “What we have seen there is Harry using external stimulus by tapping on his shoulder, and therapist will ask the patient to focus on traumatic memory, and while they are doing that they will either move their eyes very quickly following their hands or use external stimulus like tapping.
“The idea is the external stimulus stimulates the brain to process that memory and replace the emotions associated with that memory, it could be horror, depression or anxiety.”
