Trauma & EMDR
Difficult experiences can continue to affect us long after they have ended.
You may find yourself feeling anxious, on edge, emotionally overwhelmed, self-critical, disconnected from others, or reacting strongly to situations that seem difficult to explain.
Sometimes these experiences are linked to a single traumatic event. In other cases they may relate to childhood experiences, relationships, loss, bullying, emotional neglect, chronic stress, or repeated experiences of feeling unsafe, misunderstood, or unheard. Oftentimes our experience has been so normalised that we don’t even call it trauma.
This work starts with building a sense of safety and stability, before unpacking any traumatic events or even deciding on specific interventions that may help. It can take time to unfold, so it’s normal to not have a concrete “treatment plan” immediately following our assessment.
Trauma presents in many ways, from typical “flashbacks” and body memories to a stressed out nervous system, deeply rooted relational challenges, or “Neurodivergent Burnout”. A full assessment and detailed formulation guides us toward selecting suitable interventions that can help you to re-regulate your system, metabolise unprocessed material, and unburden yourself of your difficult experiences.
Trauma is not the event that happened to you.
It is the unprocessed residue, lingering fear, negative self- or world-view, and defensive habits that the experience leaves behind in your nervous system.
It is how those past experiences dictate how you feel and react in the present.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy designed to help the brain process distressing experiences that have become 'stuck'.
Rather than repeatedly talking through traumatic memories, EMDR helps the brain reprocess them in a way that reduces their emotional intensity and allows them to become part of the past rather than something that continues to intrude on the present. Not everyone requires EMDR, and trauma work looks different for different people. Some clients benefit from combining EMDR with CBT and other therapeutic approaches as part of a broader treatment plan.Whilst EMDR was originally developed to treat PTSD, it has many applications. Because EMDR focuses on how the brain stores and processes distressing experiences, it can be helpful when certain memories, beliefs, or emotional reactions feel “stuck” or continue to influence how someone feels in the present.
It is often used to help with:
Anxiety and phobias – including panic symptoms, generalised worry, and specific fears, by reducing the intensity of triggers and the automatic threat response.
Depression – particularly where negative beliefs about the self or past experiences contribute to ongoing low mood and self-criticism.
Obsessive-compulsive difficulties (OCD) – by helping to reduce the emotional charge attached to intrusive thoughts, making them easier to respond to without compulsive behaviours.
Chronic pain and somatic distress – where emotional stress and physical symptoms interact, supporting the brain in reducing the link between emotional distress and bodily sensations.
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