Sometimes a difficult or traumatic experience may be over, but the effects of it don't seem to be. You might find yourself thinking about what happened, avoiding reminders of it, feeling anxious or on edge, or reacting strongly to situations without always understanding why. At other times, you may simply have a sense that something from the past is still affecting you. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy that can help people process distressing experiences so they become less emotionally overwhelming and have less impact on everyday life.
When something distressing happens, most experiences gradually become part of our past. We can remember what happened without feeling as though we're still caught up in it.
Sometimes, however, an experience can continue to feel very vivid or emotionally charged. Thoughts, feelings, physical sensations or situations in the present may trigger some of the distress associated with what happened.
EMDR aims to help process the experience so that the memory remains, but the emotional distress connected with it reduces.
The aim isn't to make you forget what happened. Instead, the experience can begin to feel more like something that happened in the past rather than something you are still living with in the present.
We don't simply begin by asking you to revisit difficult experiences. Before processing begins, we'll spend time understanding what brings you to therapy, considering what you'd like help with and making sure you feel sufficiently prepared for the work. During EMDR processing, you'll be asked to bring aspects of a memory or experience to mind while engaging in alternating left-right stimulation, often through guided eye movements or tapping. We'll work together throughout the process and you remain in control. You can pause or stop at any point.
No. People sometimes associate trauma only with extreme or life-threatening events, but experiences don't have to fit a particular definition to continue affecting us. EMDR may be useful where past experiences are connected with present-day anxiety, distress, difficult beliefs about yourself or reactions that feel stronger than you would like them to be. We can explore together whether EMDR seems appropriate for what you're experiencing. It doesn't have to be the only way we work.
EMDR is an evidence-based psychological therapy. It is recommended by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) as a treatment for PTSD and is also recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an effective treatment for PTSD.
There is a substantial body of research supporting the use of EMDR for trauma and PTSD.
I also draw on Transactional Analysis and solution-focused therapy, so our work doesn't have to focus solely on processing memories. We may spend time understanding patterns in your thoughts, feelings or relationships, looking at what's happening in your life now and thinking about what you'd like to change. Where an experience from the past appears to be keeping you stuck, EMDR may become one part of our work together. We'll work at a pace that feels manageable for you.