EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a therapy used to help people process, and recover from distressing events from the past, that are affecting their mental wellbeing in the present.

When a person has experienced a traumatic event or events, the memory of this may become ‘stuck’. High levels of hormones associated with stress, can prevent the part of our brain that processes memories from working properly. This can result in the re-experiencing of the trauma in the present, through flashbacks, nightmares, disturbing thoughts and unpleasant physical sensations. EMDR aims to help the brain ‘unstick’ and process the memory properly, so symptoms lose their intensity. It also helps to desensitise the person to the emotional impact of the memory, so they can choose to recall the event without experiencing such strong feelings.

Sometimes, up to six sessions of EMDR therapy is sufficient to notice a significant and positive change, although some people may require more, depending on the level of complexity.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I carefully trialled the effectiveness of online EMDR Therapy, supported by extensive research and clinically approved tools and methods. My findings were extremely favourable, and the feedback from every single client was very positive, reporting the same level of effectiveness as face-to-face clients. As a result, I now routinely deliver EMDR therapy online, to clients from all geographical areas. 

EMDR is recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and World Health Organisation (WHO), as a safe and effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or symptoms of trauma. EMDR is a complex therapeutic process that requires specific training and specialist skills, which should always be delivered by a fully qualified therapist.