EMDR Therapy
I offer EMDR therapy online to English speaking clients worldwide.
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. Psychologist Francine Shapiro developed it in the late 1980s as a treatment for traumatic memories.
Since then, EMDR has become one of the most researched therapies for post traumatic stress, and clinicians now use it for anxiety, panic, phobias and the after effects of painful life events.
The idea behind it is straightforward. When something overwhelming happens, your brain can struggle to file the memory away properly. The memory stays raw, holding the same emotions, beliefs and body sensations it carried at the time. Months or years later, a reminder can bring all of that flooding back as if the event were happening now.
EMDR helps your brain finish processing these stuck memories so they settle into the past, where they belong.
How EMDR Works
EMDR draws on a model called Adaptive Information Processing. This model sees the brain as naturally wired to heal, much like the body knits a wound back together. Sometimes a memory gets blocked from healing on its own. EMDR helps to remove that block.
During reprocessing, I guide you to bring a target memory to mind while you follow a form of left to right stimulation - normally eye movements. This is called bilateral stimulation.
While your attention moves back and forth, the memory begins to lose its charge. The facts stay with you, yet the fear or shame attached to them eases.
Many people describe the memory afterwards as something that happened, rather than something still happening.
What EMDR can help with
People come to EMDR for many reasons. Common ones include post traumatic stress and single incident trauma such as an accident or a medical emergency.
EMDR can also helps with childhood wounds that still shape adult life, with grief and loss, and with the anxiety, panic or phobias that can follow a frightening experience.
For phobias, EMDR works on the root. Together we find the early experiences that taught your nervous system to treat a situation as dangerous. We reprocess those memories, then address the present triggers and any worry about future encounters. Over time the fear response quietens and you can face the situation with more calm. Fears such as flying, driving, needles, dental work and animals often respond well.
What happens in an EMDR session?
EMDR follows a structured eight phase approach. The reprocessing tends to get the attention, yet every phase is important for safety and lasting results.
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We talk through your background, your current symptoms and what you want from therapy. Together we choose the memories to target.
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Before any reprocessing, you build a set of tools for staying steady, including grounding skills and a calm or safe place you can return to. We move forward only once you feel ready.
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We bring the target memory into focus, along with the image, belief, emotion and body sensation that go with it.
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You hold the memory in mind during bilateral stimulation while its emotional grip loosens. We follow whatever comes up, at your pace.
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We strengthen a new, helpful belief about yourself to take the place of the old negative one.
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You check your body for any leftover tension linked to the memory, and we clear it.
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We bring each session to a settled close, so you leave feeling grounded.
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At the start of the next session we check what has shifted and decide where to go next.
As EMDR therapy progresses, the intensity of the distress associated with specific memories tends to decrease, allowing you to develop more adaptive coping skills, insights, and beliefs.
Is EMDR right for you?
EMDR suits many people, though not every situation calls for it straight away. If you are in the middle of a crisis, dealing with active self harm, or living with certain conditions, we may spend longer on preparation and stabilisation first, or choose a different starting point.
My role is to keep the work safe and paced for you.
During our first sessions, we work out together whether EMDR fits what you need right now. If you are unsure, you are also welcome to get in touch to ask questions.
You do not need any prior experience with therapy or EMDR. I recommend a private space where no one will interrupt you for the full session, a device with a stable video connection, and headphones if you have them. A glass of water and some tissues nearby never hurt.
Does EMDR work online?
Yes. Studies show telehealth EMDR can match in person results for many people. We adapt the bilateral stimulation for a screen, using visual tracking, alternating sounds or self tapping.
Will I have to describe my trauma in detail?
No. EMDR asks for far less retelling than many talk therapies. You hold the memory in mind, and you share only as much out loud as you choose. Most of the processing happens internally.
Does EMDR erase memories?
No. The memory stays with you. What changes is its charge. The vividness, the distress and the body alarm fade, so you can recall the event as part of your past without it pulling you back in.
Is EMDR safe? Are there side effects?
EMDR is well researched and safe in trained hands. Some people feel tired after a session, notice vivid dreams, or have memories surface between appointments. We prepare you with tools for these moments, and we go at a pace your nervous system can handle.
What if difficult feelings come up between sessions?
This can happen as memories settle. In the preparation phase you build grounding and calming tools to use at home. You can also reach me between sessions if you need to, and we always plan for support before deeper work.
Answers to Questions About EMDR
Can EMDR help with phobias?
Yes. EMDR has a specific approach for phobias. We trace the fear back to its early roots, reprocess those memories, then work on current triggers and worry about future situations. Fears such as flying, driving, needles and dental visits often respond well.
How is EMDR different from talk therapy?
Talk therapy explores and makes sense of your experience through conversation. EMDR works more directly with how a memory is stored in the brain and body. You do not have to analyse or explain the memory for it to shift.
How does EMDR fit with IFS?
The two sit together well. IFS therapy helps you build a caring relationship with the different parts of you. EMDR can then reprocess the memories some of those parts carry. I draw on both, matched to what helps you most.
What are your fees?
EMDR sessions run for 90 minutes, which gives us room to settle in, do the reprocessing and finish without rushing. A 90 minute EMDR session is AUD$250 (USD$170).
No GP referral is needed and there is no gap fee. Payment is kindly requested at the time of booking, with a full refund available if a minimum of 24 hours notice is provided.
I am a registered and licensed Australian psychotherapist. I do not work directly with American insurance providers. However I am happy to provide receipts and invoices upon request.
How many sessions will I need?
The number of sessions depends on the issues and memories you need help with. A single distressing event often clears between two and four reprocessing sessions. Trauma that built up over years, or several linked events, usually takes longer. After your first session I can give you a clearer estimate.