Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
Are your past traumatic experiences impacting your mental health, relationships and well-being? Do you need help processing the negative emotions and beliefs associated with past traumas? If so, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, online or in person, could be incredibly helpful.
EMDR is a structured, evidence-based approach designed to process and reprogramme your emotional responses to traumatic events. EMDR is recommended by the NHS and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for trauma and PTSD.
What can EMDR Therapy help with?
EMDR is widely recognised for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but its benefits extend to many other emotional and psychological challenges, including:
- Anxiety & Depression – Help release inprinted negative thought patterns tied to past challenging experiences.
- Trauma & PTSD – Support in healing from distressing memories and emotional wounds.
- Sexual or Emotional Abuse – Processing and helping reduce the emotional impact of past abuse and sexual traumaSexual Trauma Experiencing sexual trauma can have profound and lasting impacts on an individual's mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Psychosexual... More about this therapy.
- Recovery from Accidents – Help with emotional distress linked to physical trauma.
- Bereavement & Loss – Processing the loss of a loved one.
- Bullying – Addressing the long-term emotional effects of bullying.
EMDR therapy can help you move forward with greater resilience, confidence, and emotional freedom.
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a unique therapeutic technique designed to help people heal from emotional distress caused by trauma and distressing life experiences.
Gabor Maté famously stated:
Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.
Trauma dysregulates the autonomic nervous system, leading to symptoms like hypervigilance, anxiety, dissociation, or emotional numbness. The body remains in a state of “threat response” long after the danger has passed.
When we experience trauma, it can be challenging to process what has occurred within us. As a result, we may become “stuck” in our bodies and minds long after the event has passed. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) can support the reprocessing of these experiences, helping to reduce their emotional impact and making them feel less overwhelming.
During an EMDR session, the individual is guided in recalling distressing memories while engaging in specific bilateral stimulation techniques, such as:
- Moving their eyes from side to side
- Listening to alternating sounds in each ear
- Feeling gentle taps on each hand in an alternating pattern
These techniques help activate the brain’s natural ability to process memories, similar to how rapid eye movement (REM) sleep allows us to process daily experiences. By engaging the brain in this way, EMDR aims to modify how distressing memories are processed, imprinting new processes and information to create a new memory. This can reduce the emotional intensity of distressful memories and help create mental distance in a manner that is both safe and healthy to help the person move forward.
Is EMDR Therapy Effective?
Research consistently shows that EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) Therapy—both online and in person—can significantly reduce PTSD symptoms, often in just a few sessions. For individuals who have experienced multiple traumatic events, additional sessions may be beneficial.
EMDR is internationally recognised and endorsed by leading health organisations, including:
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
- UK National Health Service (NHS)
Over 10,000 Therapists, including therapists at the Leone Centre, are currently qualified to deliver EMDR Therapy in the UK.
EMDR Therapy at the Leone Centre
At Leone Centre, EMDR Therapy can be used as a focused, standalone approach or be seamlessly integrated into your counselling journey. Our team of highly qualified therapists bring extensive experience across various counselling services and adopts an integrative approach to support a diverse range of issues.
We offer EMDR Therapy in person at our London centres and online, alongside our Individual, Couples, Relationship, and Family Therapy services.
Online Therapy – Support Wherever you are
Leone Centre offers online counselling sessions, providing accessible, global support from the comfort of your own home. Whether you’re seeking couples therapy, family therapy, or individual therapy, our team of experienced therapists are available online via Zoom, making counselling accessible, wherever you are in the world at a time that suits you.
Would you like to learn more about EMDR Therapy? We have a dedicated blog post exploring EMDR therapy in greater detail, including a comprehensive list of terminology and commonly asked questions that can be found here:
Understanding EMDR Therapy: Common Questions and Key Terms Explained
EMDR FAQs
Your questions about EMDR answered
What is EMDR?
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of Therapy carried out for mental health. This method involves moving the eyes in a specific way while processing traumatic memories. EMDR Therapy has a long-term goal of helping someone to heal from past trauma or other distressing life experiences.
Do you have EMDR Therapists at Leone Centre?
Yes. Currently, our EMDR Therapy is provided by Peter Bryant, Lynn Buckley and Violeta Jawdokimova. We offer EMDR Therapy to treat issues such as PTSD, anxiety, chronic stress, eating disorders, and unresolved traumatic past events, both in London and online.
What is the difference between EMDR and Brainspotting?
Both EMDR and Brainspotting therapies practise using eyes and eye movements.
EMDR involves the client being guided to move their eyes from side to side whilst processing thoughts and memories.
Brainspotting focuses on specific locations where the client’s eyes automatically go whilst pinpointing issues and physical feelings.
I am not sure if I have PTSD. Can I still try EMDR?
Our trained Therapists can talk through issues and feelings a person may be experiencing to provide support and decipher whether the client is experiencing symptoms of PTSD.
EMDR is a psychological technique which has been found to be highly successful in reducing symptoms of PTSD, including distressing memories, thoughts, and feelings related to trauma.
Can I have EMDR therapy online?
Yes, in-person EMDR and online EMDR Therapy are very similar, and online EMDR is very effective for supporting issues around trauma and anxiety from any safe and convenient location. Due to the sensitive nature of the issues being discussed, many people choose to have EMDR therapy from the comfort of their own homes. Leone Centre Therapists can deliver EMDR Therapy online or in person, to accommodate a wide range of needs.
Citations
EMDR Therapy: An overview of its development and mechanisms of action IFEM DR
