What is EMDR and How Can It Help Me?

What is EMDR? 

Originally developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), EMDR is used by the NHS and is now used more broadly for complex trauma, attachment wounds (Childhood trauma), anxiety, phobias, grief, and performance blocks. EMDR can help with burnout, ADHD and Austistic trauma too. It is recommended by organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for the treatment of trauma.

How can EMDR help me? 

EMDR is based on the understanding that traumatic experiences can become 'stuck' in the body/nervous system. When an event or a set of cirumstances overwhelms a person's usual capacity to cope, the memory may not be processed in the usual or adaptive way. Instead, it can remain stored with the original images, emotions, physical sensations, and the negative beliefs intact. This can lead to symptoms such as anxiety, flashbacks, shame, hypervigilance, or low self-worth.   Eye Movement and Desensitisation Reprogramming uses the body's own natural processing to overcome trauma. It is linked to the processes that occur during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) which all mammals do unknowingly, when they are asleep. Without us knowing, our eyes move back and forth while the brain processes emotional experiences from the day. Some researches suggest that the bilateral stimulation used in EMDR may activate similar neurobiological mechanism, facilitating the natural processing system of the brain. In this way, EMDR can be understood as helping the brain do what it is already wired to do; metabolise and integrate an experience. 

What does an EMDR session look like?

EMDR therapy, you will be asked to briefly focus on a distressing memory while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation; most commonly guided eye movement, usually just side to side, following the clinicians figure or a ball on the screen online. This dual attention process appears to help the brain reprocess the memory so that it becomes far less emotionally charged. The memory does not disappear, but it feels less overwhelming and more in the past. EMDR is an integrative approach that works with memory, emotion, cognition, and the body, supporting deep and lasting psychological change.

Why is EMDR a block of 6 sessions?

With a process like EMDR I recommend working within a block of six sessions. This is about creating the structure and containment that EMDR needs in order to be safe, effective and meaningful. 

It is an eight-phased structured approach developed by Dr Francine Shapiro, and each phase builds on the previous ne. We begin with careful history-taking and assessment, identifying target memories and understanding how past experiences link to present-day triggers. We then focus on preparation, developing grounding skills, emotional regulation strategies, and ensuring that you feel resourced and supported before we process anything distressing. Rushing this stage would not be clinically responsible. Working in a defined block helps you commit to the process. EMDR can sometimes feel intense and knowing we have protected time set aside supports perseverance throught he natureal fluctuations of the therapeutic work. It allowsus to track change, notice patterns, and consolidate gains rather than stopping just as momentum builds. 

Importantly, six sessions is not a rigid contract. It is a clinically informed starting point. At the end of the bock, we review together: what has shifted, what still feels active and what feels complete. Some people need fewer sessions; others benefit from extending the work. The block simply ensures that EMDR is offered with the depth, stability, and ethical care it deserves. In this way, the structure supports not onoy effectiveness but also containment; helping you to feel held whild doing courageous psychological work.