Having completed the EMDR Europe Accredited Training, I’m a qualified Level 4 EMDR therapist. ​


What is EMDR?
 
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. EMDR is an evidence-based integrative psychotherapy. It was developed and is best known as a therapy for treating trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It’s recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2018 ) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a treatment for PTSD (EMDR UK, 2023).
EMDR can also be used to help with a range of mental health difficulties including anxiety, depression, behavioural difficulties and relationship issues.  
 
When people experience something disturbing or traumatic, their mind and body is able to process the experience and over time heal naturally. Sometimes, however, this processing does not occur, and the distressing memory seems to get “stuck” or "frozen in time". EMDR helps to reduce the distress of all the different aspects of the memory, often more rapidly than talking therapies such as counselling. 
A wide number of studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years, to make a difference within a much shorter period of time. For it to make a dramatic difference, sometimes people only need around six sessions of EMDR therapy, although some clients with more complex issues will require more. 
 
 
EMDR proves that the mind can heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.  For instance, when you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound.  If an injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain.  Once the block is removed, healing resumes.  EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes.  Using detailed protocols and procedures, such as eye movements and tapping, you can be helped to activate your natural healing processes.
 

* National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2018). Post-traumatic stress disorder.  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng116/chapter/recommendations

** EMDR UK. (2023). EMDR: The basics. https://emdrassociation.org.uk/a-unique-and-powerful-therapy/emdr-the-basics/