What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a structured form of psychotherapy that was originally developed to help people recover from traumatic experiences.
After something frightening or overwhelming happens, you can know that it is over and that you are safe now, yet still find yourself reacting to reminders as though the danger is happening again. A sound, a place, a physical sensation or something that seems only loosely connected with what happened can bring back fear, anxiety or a strong physical reaction before you've had time to think about it.
In EMDR, we work with the memory of what happened while using alternating stimulation from one side to the other, which might involve eye movements, tapping or another method. The aim isn't to erase the memory or make you forget what happened. It's to help the memory become something you can look back on without your mind and body continuing to respond as though the danger is still here.
For a fuller explanation of how EMDR works and what the research tells us, you can read my What Is EMDR Therapy and How Can It Help After a Traumatic Event? article.
When a Traumatic Experience Is Still Affecting You
Not everyone who goes through a traumatic experience develops PTSD, and people can be affected in very different ways. You might find that memories of what happened come into your mind when you don't want them to, or that you have nightmares or moments when it feels as though you are back there again. You may avoid particular places, situations or conversations because they remind you of what happened.
You might also notice that you're more anxious or on edge than you used to be, easily startled, irritable, struggling to sleep or finding it harder to concentrate. Sometimes the connection is obvious; at other times you may simply notice that certain situations bring up a surprisingly strong emotional or physical reaction.
These reactions can make much more sense when we understand them as things your mind and body learned in response to something that really was dangerous or overwhelming at the time. EMDR gives us a way of working with the experience and the responses that became connected with it, so that something which was useful in helping you respond to danger then doesn't have to keep being triggered in the same way now.
How I Work With EMDR
EMDR is structured, but that doesn't mean that therapy is something I do to you. We begin by talking about what has brought you to therapy, what happened and how it is affecting you now. We also spend time preparing for the processing work, so that you understand what we're doing and have ways of staying grounded if things become difficult.
When we begin working with a traumatic memory, I'll ask you to bring aspects of the experience to mind while using alternating stimulation from one side to the other. This might involve eye movements, tapping or another method. I'll guide the process, but I won't be deciding what you should think or feel, or trying to interpret what comes up for you. One of the important parts of EMDR is allowing your own associations to emerge and following where the processing naturally goes.
You're also in control throughout. We can pause or stop at any point, and you don't have to give me a detailed account of everything that happened in order for us to work with it. My role is to provide the structure and support for the process while we work together at a pace that feels manageable.
Considering EMDR Therapy?
If a traumatic experience is continuing to affect you, we can use an initial consultation to talk about
what has been happening and whether EMDR might be a suitable approach for you.
I am currently offering a limited number of
90-minute EMDR sessions at half my usual fee while I continue my EMDR training and build
further experience using the approach. I am a BACP-accredited psychotherapist and have completed the first
stage of my EMDR training, which qualifies me to work with people following a single traumatic event.
Sessions are available in person in Central Glasgow or online across the UK.
Book a Free ConsultationFrequently Asked Questions
EMDR Therapy
If you're considering EMDR, you may have questions about what happens during sessions, whether you need to talk about the trauma in detail, or how long the therapy might take. I've answered some of the questions people commonly have below.
Before we begin EMDR, we'll talk about what you're experiencing and what you would like help with. That gives us a chance to think together about whether EMDR is an appropriate approach for you, rather than starting from the assumption that you need a particular diagnosis or label.
During the processing itself, much of what comes up can remain private. I may ask you what you're noticing from time to time so that I can guide the process, but you don't have to explain or make sense of every thought, image, feeling or memory that comes into your mind.
You are also in control of the process. If you want to pause or stop at any point, we stop.
An important part of EMDR is keeping some of your attention in the present while we work with the memory. You know that you are here, with me, while at the same time noticing what comes up when you think about what happened.
We prepare for this before we begin processing, and you remain in control throughout. If it becomes too much, we can slow down, pause or stop.
Before we begin processing, we'll spend some time understanding what you want help with and preparing for the work. For some people following a particular traumatic event, EMDR can be relatively brief; for others, more time is needed. We can review how the work is progressing as we go rather than deciding in advance how many sessions you should need.
EMDR sessions with me are 90 minutes, which gives us time to work with the memory without having to rush the process at the end of a standard therapy hour.
This gives us continuity and allows us to build on the work from one session to the next. We can talk about what is realistic for you and agree the frequency together before we begin processing.
More About EMDR & Trauma Therapy
If you'd like to understand more before deciding whether EMDR might be right for you, these articles explore how traumatic experiences can continue to affect us, how therapy can help, and what EMDR involves.