For memories that never got processed
Some memories stay raw because your mind never got to finish with them.
EMDR helps that processing complete. It's among the most researched trauma treatments there is, and it usually asks far less of you than telling the story over and over again.
What EMDR actually is
The name stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, which is not helpful to anybody. The idea behind it is simpler than that. When something overwhelming happens, your mind sometimes stores it raw, keeping the images and the physical sensations and the belief you formed in that moment, rather than filing it away as something that's over. So it stays live, and a smell or a tone of voice or the temperature of a room can bring the whole thing back.
In EMDR you bring that memory to mind under controlled conditions while following a repeating side-to-side stimulus. Something about paying attention to both at once seems to let your mind finish the processing it couldn't manage at the time. The memory stays where it is. What tends to go is the charge attached to it.
What the sessions are like
The early sessions aren't reprocessing at all. They're preparation: getting to know your history, building your resources, and making sure you can approach difficult material without being swamped by it. Your counsellor won't rush this part, and you should be wary of anyone who wants to.
The reprocessing sessions themselves are often surprisingly quiet. You notice whatever comes up and say very little about it. Ninety minutes tends to work better than sixty, because an hour often ends just as something is starting to move.
Does it work online?
Yes. EMDR has been delivered by video widely since 2020 and the research so far is encouraging. Your counsellor will either use bilateral stimulation on screen, audio tones, or guide you through tapping on yourself. In practice the preparation, the pacing and the relationship matter far more than which of those you use.
Common questions
Before you begin
How many sessions will I need?
It depends whether we're working with one incident or with years of accumulated experience. Something single and recent can sometimes resolve in six to twelve sessions. Trauma that goes back to childhood takes considerably longer, and the preparation alone might run for months. You'll get an honest estimate once your counsellor knows your situation, rather than a promise at the start.
Will I have to describe what happened in detail?
Usually much less than you'd expect. Your counsellor needs enough to identify which memory you're working on and what belief attached itself to it. The rest of it happens internally.
Is EMDR safe if I dissociate?
It can be, with the right preparation and a counsellor experienced in working with dissociation. Please mention it at the first conversation. If we're not the right setting for you, we'd rather say so and help you find one that is.
Ready when you are.
Fifteen minutes, free, no clinical intake. Just a conversation about whether this is the right room for what you're carrying.