September 2026 · EMDR Therapy
What is EMDR Therapy?
A way to help the brain finish processing what the body still experiences as unfinished.
You may understand exactly why you react the way you do. You may have talked through the experience, made sense of it, and know that it is over. Yet something in your body can still respond as though it is happening now.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is an evidence-based therapy developed to help the brain process distressing experiences that have not settled into the past in the usual way.
The aim is not to erase a memory. It is to reduce the emotional and physical charge attached to it, so you can remember what happened without being pulled back into the same level of distress.
Why can a past experience still feel present?
When something overwhelming happens, the brain does not always store it like an ordinary memory. The experience can remain in a raw, unprocessed form, carrying the original emotion, body sensation, fear, or belief about yourself.
A sound, relationship dynamic, expression, place, or feeling can brush against that material later. Your nervous system reacts before the thinking mind has time to say, “I am safe now.”
How does EMDR work?
During EMDR, you briefly bring aspects of an experience to mind while engaging in bilateral stimulation. This may involve guided eye movements, alternating taps, or sound that moves from one side to the other.
This process appears to support the brain’s natural information-processing system, allowing the memory to become integrated rather than continuing to feel immediate. Many people find that the memory becomes less vivid, less distressing, or connected to a more supportive understanding of themselves.
Do I have to tell the whole story?
No. EMDR does not require you to describe every detail repeatedly. We need enough information to understand what you are experiencing and work safely, but the processing itself can happen without a complete verbal retelling.
Not the story — just what it left behind.
What happens in an EMDR session?
We begin with your history, what is happening now, what you want to change, and whether EMDR is an appropriate fit. Preparation matters. Before reprocessing begins, we establish grounding and stabilisation strategies so the pace is guided by what your system can safely hold.
EMDR follows a structured protocol, but it is not delivered as a script. The work is paced around you. Depending on what is useful, somatic awareness or breathwork may also support the process — always with your consent and with an explanation first.
What can EMDR help with?
EMDR may support people living with the effects of distressing events, trauma responses, persistent triggers, limiting beliefs, anxiety linked to past experiences, childhood material, grief, relationship ruptures, or patterns that continue despite insight and talk-based work.
Every person and history is different. A single event may process differently from long-standing or layered experiences, and no responsible practitioner can promise a particular number of sessions or outcome.
Individual and Group EMDR
I offer one-to-one EMDR and a small-group format called G-TEP, or Group Traumatic Episode Protocol. In G-TEP, each person processes their own material privately alongside others doing the same. Group members are not asked to share the details of what happened.
Explore EMDR Therapy with Olivia →Is EMDR right for you?
Fit, timing, safety, and the support available around you all matter. An initial conversation is the place to explore those questions together.
Enquire about EMDR →This article is educational and does not replace an individual clinical assessment. If you are currently in crisis, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or your local emergency service.