How EMDR Works in the Brain: The Mechanisms Behind the TherapyEMDR for Trauma: How It Works and What to ExpectHow EMDR Works in the Brain: The Mechanisms Behind the Therapy

When we go through something overwhelming or distressing, our brain doesn't always process the experience in the same way it does with ordinary memories. Instead, the sights, sounds and feelings can become "stuck," leaving us with distressing flashbacks, nightmares, or a sense that we're reliving the event all over again. Trauma can keep us on high alert, disrupt our sleep, and affect how safe we feel in everyday life.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy I use to help people reprocess traumatic memories, so they can lose their intensity and feel more like ordinary memories from the past. EMDR has been extensively researched and is recommended by organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for PTSD and trauma-related difficulties.

How does EMDR work?

When someone has experienced trauma, the memory can remain unprocessed, as if it is frozen in time. That is why reminders of the trauma, a sound, a place, even a thought, can feel just as overwhelming as the original experience.

EMDR helps by stimulating the brain's natural ability to process memories. During a session, I guide you to bring a distressing memory to mind while also introducing bilateral stimulation. This might involve moving your eyes back and forth, tapping your hands, or listening to alternating tones through headphones.

This dual attention, part of your mind holding the memory, part focused on the present stimulation, allows the memory to unfreeze and be reprocessed. Over time, the memory becomes less charged, and the feelings of fear, shame or helplessness associated with it begin to ease.

What does an EMDR session with me look like?

I have been using EMDR in my practice for many years, and I know how important it is that you feel safe and supported before working with painful memories. I will always make sure you have the tools and resources you need to feel prepared.

Typically, EMDR sessions involve:

1. History-taking and preparation. Understanding your background and helping you develop tools to stay grounded.
2. Identifying targets. Choosing which memories, triggers, or negative beliefs to work on.
3. Desensitisation. Bringing the memory to mind while using bilateral stimulation.
4. Reprocessing. Noticing what arises and allowing your brain to shift how the memory is stored, naturally.
5. Installing positive beliefs. Reinforcing healthier, more balanced ways of seeing yourself.

Many of my clients describe feeling relief, lightness, or a sense that the memory has lost its power, after EMDR.

Why people choose EMDR

• You don't have to go into extensive detail about the trauma.
• It is evidence-based and effective for many types of trauma, including single-incident events, such as accidents, and complex trauma, such as childhood abuse.
• It can create lasting change, helping people move from surviving to truly living.

Final thoughts

Trauma can leave us feeling as though we are stuck in the past, but EMDR offers a way to gently reprocess those memories so they no longer dominate the present. By helping your brain to heal, EMDR can reduce the emotional intensity of past experiences and restore a greater sense of calm, resilience, and wellbeing.

If you would like to explore whether EMDR might be right for you, please feel free to get in touch. I would be happy to talk through what the process could look like for you.