What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a structured, evidence-based approach that helps people heal from distressing experiences, trauma, and patterns that feel “stuck.” Rather than relying solely on talking about memories, EMDR uses specific techniques to help the brain reprocess past experiences so they can be stored in a more adaptive, less distressing way.

A Different Way of Healing

When something overwhelming happens, the brain’s natural processing system can become “stuck.” Memories, emotions, body sensations, and beliefs connected to the event may remain vivid and easily triggered — even years later.

EMDR helps the brain resume this natural healing process. Through guided sets of bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, tapping, or tones), the therapy supports your mind and body to connect past experiences with present safety.

Many people describe EMDR as “emotionally freeing,” “lighter,” or “as if something has finally settled.”

What EMDR Helps With

EMDR was originally developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Today, research supports its use across a wide range of challenges, including:

Childhood or relational trauma
Anxiety, panic, or phobias
Depression or low self-worth
Grief and loss
Burnout, stress, or perfectionism
Performance anxiety or creative blocks

EMDR can be effective whether distress comes from a single event (such as an accident) or from many small experiences that have built up over time.

How EMDR Differs from Traditional Talk Therapy

Unlike therapies that focus mainly on analysing or challenging thoughts, EMDR works directly with the memory network in the brain.

It combines mindfulness, somatic awareness, and neuroscience to help integrate experiences — so that old memories lose their emotional charge and stop influencing your present life in painful ways.

This makes EMDR especially helpful for people who:

Understand why they feel the way they do, but can’t seem to feel different
Have tried other therapies and still feel “stuck”
Want a process that supports both emotional and physical healing

What a Session Involves

In EMDR therapy, you’ll work together with your therapist to identify memories, triggers, or experiences that feel connected to current difficulties.

Using gentle bilateral stimulation while focusing on these memories, the brain begins to “reprocess” them — linking the memory with new, more adaptive information.

As this happens, distressing images, sensations, or beliefs often reduce in intensity and are replaced by a sense of calm, understanding, or self-compassion.

Learn More about → What Does EMDR Therapy Look Like?

The Science of EMDR

Neuroscientists suggest that EMDR activates similar brain mechanisms to those involved in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep — a phase known for emotional processing and memory integration.

It also engages working memory, requiring the brain to hold multiple streams of information (such as the memory and the eye movements) at once. This dual attention makes it difficult for the brain to sustain the same level of distress, allowing the memory to be reconsolidated in a calmer form.

Learn more in → How EMDR Works: The Science Behind EMDR

Research and Recognition

EMDR is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Australian Psychological Society (APS) as an effective treatment for trauma and post-traumatic stress.

Over 30 years of research have shown its effectiveness across trauma-related and non-trauma difficulties.

Explore more in → Is EMDR Effective?

Is EMDR Right for Me?

You don’t have to know exactly what “counts” as trauma.

If you’ve had experiences that still affect how you feel, react, or see yourself — EMDR might help.

Whether you feel anxious, disconnected, or “never quite good enough,” EMDR can be tailored to your needs, at your pace.

Holding SpaceClinical Psychology Services