EMDR Therapy
Cut through to the root,
not the stories.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is one of the most researched approaches to moving what's stuck — the moments your body still reacts to as though they're happening now, even though your mind knows they're over. I offer it two ways: one-to-one, and in a small group format called G-TEP.
Not the story — just what it left behind.
What is EMDR?
When something overwhelming happens, the brain doesn't always file it away the way it does an ordinary memory. Instead, it can get stored in a raw, unprocessed form — still carrying the original emotion, body sensation, or fear. When something in daily life brushes up against it, that unprocessed material gets triggered, and you can react with the same intensity as if it were happening for the first time.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation — guided eye movements, alternating taps, or sound — while you briefly bring the memory to mind. This appears to help the brain finish the processing it didn't complete at the time, so the memory can settle into the past where it belongs. Developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, it is now one of the most widely researched trauma therapies available.
One-to-one
Individual EMDR
Private sessions, paced entirely around you. Ideal for a specific memory, a long-standing pattern, or lineage and childhood material that needs real depth and time.
Small group
Group EMDR — G-TEP
Group Traumatic Episode Protocol. You process your own material privately, alongside others doing the same — without ever needing to describe what happened.
One-to-One EMDR — What to Expect
We start with a proper history — what's actually going on, what you want to be different, and whether EMDR is the right fit before we begin. From there, sessions follow a structured protocol, but the pace is set by what your system can hold, not a script.
Together, we precisely pinpoint the pivotal moments in your life that have impacted you and left an imprint that is no longer yours to carry forward. Working intentionally with the subconscious, we rewire the beliefs you hold about yourself into ones that support and nourish your flourishing.
Sessions are typically weekly. We may also draw on breathwork or somatic awareness alongside EMDR when it is useful — always with your consent, and always explained before we do it.
Group EMDR (G-TEP) — What to Expect
G-TEP applies the same EMDR principles as individual sessions, in a small group container. It's a gentle way to work through everyday triggers and trauma responses — without discussing or unpacking the story itself.
At no point are group members asked, expected, or encouraged to share the details of what happened. You process it. You don't perform it.
A typical session includes:
- Grounding and stabilisation skills at the start
- Space to name what's present without detail or explanation
- Individually guided reprocessing, using bilateral stimulation, alongside the group
- A closing debrief and a short breathing practice to close
Sessions run approximately 90 minutes.
Is This Right for You?
EMDR — either format — may be a fit if you've experienced one or more distressing events, recent or long past, and notice them still shaping your triggers, reactions, or patterns that don't quite make sense given where you are now.
Group EMDR asks for some existing capacity to self-regulate using grounding or coping skills. If that capacity isn't there yet, we may start with individual sessions first and build toward group work later. Every G-TEP participant completes a short intake conversation before joining, so the container stays safe for everyone in it.
Continue the work in a deeper container
The Fully Rooted. Fully You Program integrates EMDR Therapy, Breathwork & Somatic Therapy, and Energy Healing & Reiki, and Akashic Records across a nine-week small-group journey.
Ready to enquire about EMDR?
Olivia Maxwell is a Masters-trained, former registered psychologist and certified EMDR practitioner. Content on this page is educational and doesn't replace an individual clinical assessment.
If you're currently in crisis, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or your local emergency service before booking.