What is EMDR?

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy that helps people process and heal from distressing or traumatic experiences.

It was discovered in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro, who noticed during a walk that certain eye movements seemed to reduce the emotional intensity of distressing thoughts. That observation led to the development of a therapy that is now widely used around the world.

At its core, EMDR helps the brain do what it is naturally designed to do: process experiences in a way that allows them to be remembered without being relived.

Why Do We Sometimes Get “Stuck”?

Our brains are wired with what’s called the Adaptive Information Processing system.

In simple terms:

* Healthy experiences → lead to adaptive beliefs (“I can cope,” “I am safe,” “I am worthy”).

* Overwhelming or traumatic experiences → can lead to maladaptive beliefs (“I’m not safe,” “It was my fault,” “I’m not good enough”).

When something is too distressing, the memory can get “stuck” in the nervous system. Instead of being filed away as something that happened in the past, it continues to feel present and emotionally charged.

That’s where EMDR comes in.

How Does EMDR Work?

EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, most commonly guided eye movements while you briefly focus on aspects of a distressing memory.

Research suggests that these eye movements:

  • Tax working memory (meaning the brain can’t hold the memory as vividly).

  • Reduce the emotional intensity of the memory.

  • Help the brain reprocess the experience in a more adaptive way.

You can think of EMDR as helping the brain “unstick” memories that didn’t get properly processed at the time.

What Does an EMDR Session Look Like?

EMDR follows a clear, structured eight-phase approach:

1. History & Assessment 

2. Preparation 

3. Target Assessment – Identifying the image, beliefs, emotions, body sensations, and distress level linked to the memory.

4. Desensitisation 

5. Installation of a Positive Belief 

6. Body Scan 

7. Closure 

8. Re-evaluation

Importantly, you are in control throughout the process. EMDR is not about forcing you to relive trauma. It is about helping your brain process it safely.

Who Can Benefit From EMDR?

EMDR is widely used with clients experiencing:

  • Trauma and PTSD

  • Anxiety 

  • OCD (alongside exposure and response prevention)

  • Phobias (with gradual exposure work)

  • Chronic pain

  • Depression

  • Grief

Many people are surprised to learn that EMDR isn’t just for “big T trauma.” It can also be helpful for experiences that were deeply distressing but may not fit a textbook definition of trauma.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly recommends Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as a first-line, evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children, adolescents, and adults. “ (WHO,2013)

Andrea Little