EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing
EMDR Therapy
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It's an evidence-based psychological therapy recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) for addressing symptoms that relate to traumatic or distressing experiences.
How trauma gets stuck
When we experience something traumatic or deeply disturbing - whether that's a road traffic accident, childhood trauma, bullying, or any other distressing event - the brain doesn't always process it in the usual way. The memory becomes frozen, stored in a raw, unprocessed state.
When we encounter something that triggers that old memory - a sound, a word, a thought, a touch, even a similar situation - we can react as if it's happening all over again. The past feels like the present. Veterans might react to loud noises as if bombs are going off. Someone who experienced childhood trauma might feel the same fear and helplessness decades later.
How EMDR helps
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation - usually in the form of eye movements, and sometimes other movements - to help your brain's memory networks connect and heal. This process transforms emotionally charged memories into a more generalised form, so they feel "filed away in the past" rather than flaring up in the present.
The work starts by looking at your history: childhood and developmental experiences, your attachment to caregivers, feelings of safety or danger, and the sense you've made of these. Very often, early experiences leave us with negative beliefs about ourselves, other people, and the world - beliefs that aren't true, but feel true.
Once we understand why you're experiencing your current symptoms, we process the old memories causing them. This integrates them into the past where they belong. They become part of your history rather than something you're constantly reliving.
What makes EMDR different
EMDR isn't like talking therapy. You don't have to disclose all the details of what happened if you don't want to. We can even process a memory without me knowing what it is.
You're in control. This is your therapy, and you do the healing. I'm with you on the journey, and we go at your pace. Your safety is the most important thing.
The eight phases of EMDR
History-taking: We assess your current problems and create a timeline of events from your past, identifying how present problems developed and how the past and present are linked.
Preparation: We introduce techniques to help regulate and calm your emotions - breathing exercises, a 'safe place' - and establish a stop signal so you can pause at any time. We don't move forward until these feel solid.
Assessment: We identify the most distressing memory and the negative belief attached to it, what you'd prefer to believe instead, the emotions involved, and where you feel this in your body.
Desensitisation: We use eye movements or tapping to process the distressing memory. Think of it like getting on a train and watching the scenery of thoughts, emotions, and images pass by. Each stop is a new plateau where unhelpful material can connect with more useful, self-enhancing information.
Installation: Once memories are processed, we focus on strengthening your preferred positive belief.
Body scan: We check for any remaining distress in your body. If we find any, we might return to phase 4.
Closure: We always close sessions safely, whether we've completed all phases or not.
Re-evaluation: We check progress and make sure we're staying on track. This usually happens at the start of each session.
What to expect
Sessions can be 60-90 minutes long. It's difficult to say exactly how many you'll need - this depends on how many memories you want to process and how distressing the original incidents were. However, results are typically seen more quickly than with talking therapies.
EMDR can be carried out face to face or over Zoom (I currently offer sessions over Zoom). There's little homework - mainly practising the safe place and breathing techniques we establish in the preparation phase.
After processing sessions, it's normal to feel tired. Some people feel a little dizzy or spaced out for a short time. Your brain may continue processing the memory after our session ends - this is perfectly normal and expected, and we'll discuss how to manage this.
Intensive EMDR
For some people, intensive EMDR offers a more powerful way forward. Instead of weekly sessions spread over months, intensive therapy condenses the work into a concentrated period - often a few days or a week.
Intensive work follows the same eight phases outlined above. If you're interested in this option, I offer a free introductory call to discuss whether it's right for you and how we'd structure the work together.
Cost of Intensive EMDR: £1,000
Ready to learn more?
If you're curious about whether EMDR - or intensive EMDR - might be right for you, let's talk. You can read more at www.emdrassociation.org.uk, or get in touch to arrange a free initial consultation.