EMDR Therapy and How It Supports Healing

EMDR Therapy Francine Shapiro Trauma Therapy Counselling - Caroline Ellison

Understanding EMDR Therapy and How It Supports Healing

At Caroline Ellison Counselling, I understand that trauma and distressing experiences can have a profound impact on your mental and emotional well-being. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a proven, effective approach which will help you process difficult memories and move toward healing.

What Is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR is a structured psychotherapy that enables you to reprocess and make sense of distressing memories. Developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR uses specific techniques—including guided eye movements—to facilitate the brain’s natural ability to heal from trauma. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR targets the underlying cause of distress by working directly with how traumatic memories are stored in the brain. Memories are stored by association.

How Does EMDR Work?

During an EMDR session, you will be guided to recall a traumatic or distressing memory while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as moving your eyes back and forth, tapping, or listening to alternating sounds. This process helps to activate your brain’s information processing system, allowing the traumatic memory to be reprocessed and integrated more adaptively.

The brain organises and retains experiences through interconnected networks of related information. When we recall a memory, the activation of one part of this network triggers other associated memories, thoughts, feelings, and sensations. This interconnected web explains how our minds retrieve complex, multi-faceted experiences based on related cues.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) leverages this organisation to help individuals process traumatic memories.

During EMDR therapy:

    • The client recalls a specific traumatic memory, activating the associated neural network of related thoughts, emotions, and sensations.
    • Through guided bilateral stimulation (e.g., side-to-side eye movements), the brain engages in a natural processing mechanism.
    • This stimulation helps rewire the association pathways, weakening the links between the traumatic memory and the intense negative emotions or beliefs that are stored with it.
    • As a result, the traumatic memory becomes less emotionally charged and less distressing, allowing the individual to integrate it more adaptively.
    • The process fosters neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to reorganize itself—creating new, healthier associations and reducing the power of previously distressing links.

Since memories are stored through associations, EMDR effectively taps into this interconnected network, facilitating the reorganisation and adaptive processing of traumatic memories, ultimately reducing their emotional impact and aiding healing.

 EMDR therapy is typically structured into several phases, including history-taking, preparation, assessment, desensitisation, installation, body scan, and closure, ensuring a safe and supportive environment throughout your journey.

How Is EMDR Used?

EMDR is highly effective in treating a wide range of mental health concerns, including:

As a trained EMDR practitioner I will work collaboratively with you to identify areas of distress and develop a personalised treatment plan. The goal is to enable you to process past experiences and develop healthier perspectives, leading to lasting relief and emotional well-being.

Take the First Step Toward Healing

If you’re seeking an innovative and compassionate approach to overcoming trauma or distressing memories, EMDR may be right for you. Reach out today by emailing Caroline Ellison Counselling to find out more about how this therapy can support your healing journey.