The mind normally heals itself naturally when negative experiences happen. Sometimes, when an overwhelming or disturbing event occurs e.g. trauma, this natural process becomes overloaded. This overloading can result in disturbing experiences becoming stuck or ‘unprocessed’. Over time, the memory of the event can be forgotten but the pain and anxiety are continually felt or triggered in the present.

EMDR can help the mind to ‘process’ that traumatic event in a natural way allowing the person to move on from it. During a session, the therapist will ask questions about the upsetting memory.

Eye movements (similar to what happens during REM sleep) are recreated by asking the client to watch the therapist’s fingers moving back and forward across their visual field. These eye movements last a short while and are repeated after the therapist asks what the client experienced during each set of eye movements. Repeating this process, can reduce and remove the pain of a memory.