EVIDENCE-BASED THERAPY APPROACHES · EMDR

EMDR— memory reprocessing to process trauma

An evidence-based therapy for trauma and stuck memories

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a well-researched trauma therapy. It's a structured approach that helps the brain reprocess distressing memories, so they lose their emotional charge and stop intruding on day-to-day life.

EMDR is one of the modalities I'm trained in, though I most often use it in an integrated way — alongside CBT or Schema Therapy — when it's clinically indicated and likely to add something to the other approaches. Clients are always given the choice about whether to engage with EMDR, and if it doesn't feel like the right fit, we'll work with an alternative that does.

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The kind of stuck memories EMDR is helpful for.

EMDR is most useful when a memory caused you to feel triggered — when something from the past is still affecting how your body and mind are responding now. It is an evidence-based approach for treating trauma, which can manifest in the following ways:

— Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or images.

— Strong body reactions to certain triggers, places, or people

— Old shame or self-blame that won't shift even when you know better

— Birth trauma, medical trauma, or a frightening accident

— A specific event that still feels “frozen in time”

— Recurring nightmares connected to a past event

— Childhood experiences that still shape adult reactions

— Grief that feels stuck or unprocessable (complicated grief)

WHAT EMDR IS

EMDR is a structured eight-phase therapy developed in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro. It's recommended by the World Health Organisation, the Australian Psychological Society, and the NICE guidelines in the UK as a frontline treatment for post-traumatic stress. Decades of research now support its effectiveness, particularly for single-event trauma.

The way it works, in plain terms: when something overwhelming happens, the brain sometimes stores the memory in a way that keeps it feeling "live" — the images, sounds, body sensations, emotions, and beliefs about yourself all bundled together as if the event were still happening. These memories can lie dormant for a time and then surface unexpectedly, particularly when someone has tried to push the memory away, or when circumstances at the time of the event didn't allow it to be fully processed. EMDR uses brief, paced sets of bilateral stimulation — eye movements, taps, or sounds — while you hold the memory in mind. This appears to help the brain do something similar to what it does during REM sleep: process the memory and integrate it, so it stops feeling current and starts feeling like something that happened in the past.

A structured way to help the brain finish processing a memory.

"EMDR is a way to digest disturbing experiences so they no longer have a negative impact." — Francine Shapiro

EMDR FOR CLIENTS WITH RELIGIOUS OR CHRISTIAN FAITH

Therapeutic approaches that I draw on during therapy

If your religious or Christian faith shapes how you approach therapy, you may be wondering how EMDR fits. This section offers some points to consider.

CONCERN

"Is EMDR occult or new-age?"

No. EMDR is an evidence-based psychological therapy. The eye movements aren't a meditative practice or an altered-state technique — they're a clinical tool that engages the brain's natural processing systems, similar to what happens during REM sleep. EMDR was developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro and has since been studied in hundreds of clinical trials. It is recommended for trauma treatment by bodies like the World Health Organisation and the Australian Psychological Society. The confusion sometimes comes from EMDR being grouped online with practices it has no real connection to — but the therapy itself is grounded in psychological research.

CONCERN

"Will I be hypnotised or lose control?"

No. EMDR is not hypnosis. You remain fully awake, alert, and in control throughout the session — you can slow things down, pause, or stop at any point. The therapist takes a neutral stance and doesn't suggest interpretations, alter the memory, or guide you toward particular beliefs. Anything that shifts during processing is your own brain working through the memory the way it's designed to — not something the therapist has put there.

CONCERN

"Does it conflict with my faith?"

EMDR is a structured psychological therapy, not a spiritual practice — it doesn't involve meditation, altered states, or any belief system you'd need to adopt. The bilateral stimulation is simply a tool to help the brain process memories that have stayed stuck. Many Christian clients find that EMDR sits comfortably alongside their faith, and some find it deepens their capacity to engage with it. However, if you are not comfortable with this modality there is no obligation to participate in it. It is supplmental to my work, not my primary modality.

"The past is present. Until traumatic experiences are processed, they continue to intrude on a person's emotions, behaviour, and sense of self."

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— Francine Shapiro, developer of EMDR

Have questions about support for scrupulosity

Q&A

Yes. If you have a current Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, you may be eligible to receive a Medicare rebate for up to 10 individual psychology sessions per calendar year. These rebates help reduce the out-of-pocket cost for each session. You’ll need to provide a copy of your referral letter and MHTP prior to your first appointment.
It came from a clinical observation in 1987, not from any spiritual tradition. The current understanding is that bilateral stimulation engages the same memory-consolidation systems the brain uses during REM sleep. There's nothing meditative, ritualistic, or spiritually charged about the technique itself.
EMDR doesn't change what happened. It changes how the memory is stored — moving it from a "live" state to a settled, past-tense one. The new belief installed at the end is one you choose, in your own words, that's truer than the trauma-time belief.
No, your preferences will always been respected. EMDR is one of several approaches I draw on, and it's offered when it's clinically indicated and with your consent. Most of my work is grounded in Schema Therapy and CBT/ERP, and EMDR is brought in when it's likely to add something those approaches can't address as efficiently on their own. If you'd prefer not to engage with EMDR, we can work effectively without it.
EMDR tends to be useful when a specific memory or set of memories is still feeling "live" — intruding on day-to-day life, driving symptoms, or sitting underneath patterns that talking about them hasn't shifted. For some people, CBT or Schema Therapy gets us most of the way there, and EMDR helps with the part that hasn't budged. For others, EMDR is a more direct route earlier in therapy. I almost always use EMDR in conjunction with other therapeutic approaches.We'd talk through what makes sense for your situation.
They work well together. Schema Therapy and CBT help us understand the patterns, beliefs, and coping styles that have built up over time, while EMDR can help shift the underlying memories that fuel them. In practice, this might look like using Schema Therapy to map out what's going on, EMDR to process specific memories driving a schema, and CBT skills to consolidate the changes in everyday life. The integration is tailored to the person, not formulaic.
Not in the way some people expect. EMDR doesn't require you to give a full narrative account of what happened or to describe it repeatedly. You hold the memory in mind during processing, but you're not obligated to talk through every detail aloud. This is one of the reasons some clients find EMDR more tolerable than purely talk-based approaches to trauma.
It varies. For a single distressing event in someone with an otherwise stable history, a few sessions of active processing may be enough. For more complex or longstanding difficulties, it's slower and usually woven into a longer course of therapy alongside Schema Therapy or CBT. We'd discuss expected timeframes once we have a sense of what we're working with.
I will always respect your preferences regarding whether you would like to engage in this therapy. There are times when Schema Therapy, CBT, or ERP will do the job better on their own.