Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR)

What Is EMDR?

EMDR is a powerful therapy for healing from trauma, distressing memories, or experiences that feel “stuck” in your body and mind. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR helps you process painful memories using gentle, guided techniques like eye movements, sounds, or taps.

Trauma can cause your brain to get “frozen” in past events, replaying them over and over or reacting as if you’re still in danger. EMDR helps your brain do what it naturally wants to do: heal. You don’t have to tell your whole story in detail - instead, you focus on a memory briefly while doing a form of rhythmic stimulation, which helps the brain reprocess it.

The 8 Phases of EMDR

  1. History and treatment planning

  2. Preparation (safety, resources, expectations)

  3. Assessment (identifying target memory, beliefs, and emotions)

  4. Desensitisation with sets of bilateral stimulation

  5. Installation of a positive belief

  6. Body scan to identify lingering tension

  7. Closure to ensure stability

  8. Re-evaluation in subsequent sessions

Who Is EMDR For?

  • Post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

  • Complex trauma

  • Panic disorder, phobias

  • Grief, performance anxiety, and other trauma-connected issues

How It Works

  • Bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, sounds) while recalling trauma

  • Promotes natural reprocessing of traumatic memories

  • Shift from distressing imagery to adaptive understanding

Benefits

  • Often faster pathways through trauma than conventional talk therapy

  • Substantial reductions in PTSD symptoms

  • Allows emotional healing without needing detailed recounting

What to Expect

  • EMDR follows a clear, step-by-step process that begins with creating a sense of safety and emotional stability. When you feel ready, we’ll gently identify a memory to focus on, and use a technique called bilateral stimulation—such as side-to-side eye movements or gentle tapping—to help your mind “unstick” from the past and process what happened. The sessions are structured and guided, but always at your pace. Some moments can feel emotionally intense, and your therapist will be there to support and ground you throughout.