Unlike traditional talk therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), or Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), EMDR therapy focuses movements, gestures and sounds that activate both sides of the brain (“bilateral stimulation”) to reprocess events and emotions.

This is achieved by thinking about difficult or “stuck” memories that cause distress, while simultaneously following a patter of specific movements, taps, or sounds guided by the therapist.

This stimulation is thought to activate areas of the brain responsible for memory processing and emotion, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, to reprocess the memory so that it becomes less intense and unstuck from its emotional home.

By activating these areas areas of the brain while thinking about the memory, EMDR helps reprocess the memory in real-time and detach the negative emotions associated with the memory.

As a result, those experiencing EMDR often feel calmer and are able to move forward from their difficult experiences where the content of the memory feels too difficult to talk about.  

EMDR has been shown to be effective in a number of research studies and its effectiveness has now been demonstrated in problems such as depression, anxiety, difficult childhood experience and even overcoming breakups.