What is Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)?
EMDR is an evidence-based therapy that works directly with how distressing memories are stored and recalled in the brain and nervous system. When an experience overwhelms our capacity to process it at the time, the memory can remain "stuck" - holding its original emotional charge, body sensations, and beliefs about ourselves. Years later, something in the present can activate it as though it's happening now.
This is based on the premise that trauma is not stored in the brain the same way an ordinary memory is. An ordinary memory has been processed, filed, integrated, alongside resources and adaptive information. A traumatic memory has not. It sits unprocessed in the nervous system, often with the original sensations, images, and beliefs still attached, which is why it can feel less like remembering and more like reliving.
EMDR helps the brain complete what it couldn't finish at the time. Through a structured process that includes bilateral stimulation - often gentle eye movements, tapping, or sound - the memory is revisited in a way that allows it to be reprocessed and integrated. The facts remain. What shifts is the emotional weight, the bodily response, and the meaning you've carried about yourself because of it.
EMDR also has uses beyond trauma work. It can be utilised when working with anxiety, depression, grief & loss, phobias, nightmares, body image and self-esteem.
What exactly happens and how does it work?
Treatment usually involves bringing a focus of the memory to mind and using guided side-to-side eye movements (or tapping, buzzers or sounds) to help the brain reintegrate the memory. Importantly, you may not need to disclose or talk about the content of their traumatic experience. Clients may focus on noticing their present moment responses and processing the content with the support of the therapist. For some individuals, EMDR can have faster results compared to older forms of trauma treatment, such as exposure therapy. EMDR works with the brain's natural processing capacity - the same mechanism that happens during REM sleep - to help stuck memories move through and settle. For people who've already done significant therapeutic work, this is often what changes things. Patterns that were understood intellectually begin to be felt and believed at a deeper, more somatic level.
While many people are familiar with the phase of processing traumatic memories (which includes the eye movements often associated with EMDR), the work also involves careful preparation, developing the resources needed to approach disturbing memories safely, and time for integration as new insights and changes begin to take shape. EMDR follows an eight-phase model that prioritises safety and preparation before any reprocessing begins. We take the time to build stability and resources first, so the deeper work can happen without overwhelm. Some experiences resolve in a small number of sessions; more complex or long-held patterns take longer. Either is expected, and the pace is always led by what's right for you. Our work usually begins with an initial assessment phase, where we take time to understand your history, current difficulties, and what you would like to change. This helps us build a shared understanding of the work ahead and collaboratively decide whether EMDR therapy is a suitable approach for you.
What is my personal approach to EMDR?
I am specifically trained in neurodivergent affirming EMDR approaches and receive culturally grounded EMDR supervision, from a decolonial and anti-oppressive practice lens. EMDR sessions are held within a trauma-informed framework. We take time to prepare before any reprocessing begins, building the stability and resources that make deeper work safe. You're not rushed, and nothing is forced. The pace is set by you and what you are ready for. EMDR is flexible! And EMDR is not magic. Physical symptoms are complex and individual. But the connection between trauma and the body is well established, and the same processing that releases the emotional grip of a memory can release some of what the body has been holding alongside it. So if you are curious, we can start to bring EMDR into our existing work. If ever you decide EMDR is not for you, we can work with many other modalities, including other somatic approaches.