EMDR Therapy Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy recognised for its effectiveness in helping people process traumatic and distressing life experiences. EMDR supports the brain's natural capacity to heal by helping experiences that feel overwhelming or unresolved become less emotionally charged and more fully integrated.

Our EMDR Training and Expertise

Our team includes BACP-accredited psychotherapists who have completed EMDR training with the Institute for Change and are registered members of EMDR UK, the professional body that promotes best practice, ethical standards, and the advancement of EMDR therapy in the treatment of trauma.

We chose to train in EMDR in order to offer clients an additional and integral therapeutic approach, particularly where experiences feel difficult to process through talking therapy alone. Some memories can become stored in ways that continue to affect thoughts, emotions, and the body. EMDR provides a structured and carefully paced way of working with these experiences, while maintaining safety, choice, and client control.

How EMDR Works

EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as left-right eye movements, tapping, or visual stimuli, while you briefly focus on aspects of a memory or current difficulty. This process supports adaptive information processing, allowing the memory to be reprocessed so it feels less distressing and no longer impacts daily life in the same way. You do not need to describe events in detail, and you remain fully present and aware throughout the work.

In our practice, we use a combination of tapping and a light bar to provide bilateral stimulation. We always work collaboratively to choose what feels most comfortable for you. EMDR therapy follows a clear, phased approach, beginning with preparation and stabilisation, ensuring that you feel safe, supported, and resourced before any reprocessing takes place.

Who Can Benefit from EMDR?

EMDR can be helpful for people who have experienced trauma, as well as those affected by anxiety, panic, low self-esteem, distressing memories, or emotional responses that feel difficult to understand or manage. It can be used as a focused intervention or integrated into longer-term therapy, depending on your needs and goals.

Our Approach

Our approach is trauma-informed, relational, and guided by EMDR UK's professional standards. Your wellbeing is central to the work, and we proceed at a pace that feels manageable for you, with care, consent, and safety at the heart of the process.

If you would like to explore whether EMDR might be helpful for you, you are welcome to get in touch to arrange an initial conversation.

EMDR Client Handouts and Forms

These handouts and forms accompany each stage of EMDR therapy. We will use them together in our sessions, so you don't need to complete anything before we have talked about it. You are welcome to download them in advance and read them at your own pace.