Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful, evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help people heal from trauma and distressing life experiences. If you’re struggling with intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, or intense emotional reactions following trauma — whether from a single event or prolonged exposure — EMDR can help you process these experiences and move forward.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation — such as eye movements, tapping, or sounds — while you briefly focus on traumatic material, activating the brain’s natural healing processes. Unlike traditional talking therapies, EMDR does not require detailed verbal recounting of trauma. Our work follows a structured eight-phase protocol, ensuring you feel prepared, supported, and in control throughout. EMDR is recommended by NICE, the World Health Organisation, and international treatment guidelines as a first-line treatment for PTSD.
Harley Street London
in person and online
£250–£300 per session
Allianz AXA Bupa Global Cigna and WPA accepted
Appointments available within 1 week
4.86 rating based on Doctify, Google and Trustpilot reviews
EMDR is specifically designed to help process traumatic memories and distressing experiences that remain “stuck” in the nervous system and continue to affect you in the present. If memories feel as vivid as when they first occurred, if certain reminders trigger intense emotional or physical reactions, or if past experiences continue to limit your life, EMDR can help bring relief.
You may benefit from EMDR if you’ve experienced trauma — whether a single incident or ongoing experiences — and find that it intrudes into daily life through flashbacks, nightmares, heightened anxiety, or strong reactions to reminders. EMDR is also used to support people with PTSD, panic, phobias, complicated grief, and self-esteem difficulties rooted in adverse experiences.
EMDR is especially valuable if talking about trauma feels overwhelming or retraumatising. Unlike traditional exposure-based therapies, it does not require detailed verbal recounting of traumatic events. Instead, it allows the brain to process experiences in a structured, contained way, making it a more accessible option for those who struggle to put traumatic experiences into words.
EMDR can be incorporated into couples work when one or both partners' trauma significantly affects the relationship. If past traumatic experiences create triggers, avoidance, emotional numbing, or hypervigilance that interfere with intimacy and connection, processing these memories with EMDR whilst maintaining relationship focus can be powerful.
You might benefit from this approach if relationship conflicts trigger traumatic memories — perhaps your partner's tone reminds you of an abusive parent, or conflicts trigger abandonment terror from early losses. EMDR can help desensitize these triggers whilst couples therapy addresses current relationship patterns.
This approach is valuable when trauma within the relationship itself — such as infidelity, a traumatic birth experience, or loss of a child — needs processing. EMDR can help both partners process their trauma whilst working together toward healing and reconnection.
EMDR can be valuable within family work when family members have experienced shared trauma — such as accidents, natural disasters, or witnessing violence — or when one family member's trauma affects the whole family system. Processing traumatic memories can help family members support each other more effectively.
Families benefit when children have experienced trauma and their symptoms (nightmares, anxiety, behavioural difficulties) affect family functioning. EMDR can be adapted for children and combined with family therapy to address both individual trauma and family patterns.
This approach helps families where intergenerational trauma affects current relationships. Parents who have processed their own trauma with EMDR often find their capacity to attune to their children and maintain emotional regulation during stress significantly improves.
EMDR follows a structured eight-phase protocol that ensures safe, effective trauma processing:
We gather your history, identify traumatic memories to target, and develop a comprehensive treatment plan. We assess your readiness for trauma processing and ensure you have adequate support and stability in your life.
We explain how EMDR works, establish a therapeutic relationship, and teach you self-regulation and grounding techniques. We ensure you have a 'safe place' or 'calm place' you can access if processing becomes overwhelming. This phase builds the resources you need for safe trauma work.
We identify the specific memory to target, including the most vivid image, negative belief about yourself, emotions, and physical sensations. We also identify the positive belief you'd like to have instead. This creates a baseline for measuring progress.
This is the reprocessing phase. You focus briefly on the traumatic memory whilst engaging in bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or sounds). Your brain's natural healing processes take over, and the memory begins to lose its emotional charge. We continue until the distress decreases significantly.
We strengthen the positive belief you want to hold about yourself. Using bilateral stimulation, we 'install' this new, adaptive belief to replace the negative one that came from the trauma.
We check for any residual physical tension or discomfort related to the memory. If any remains, we use bilateral stimulation to process it until your body feels clear and calm.
We ensure you feel stable and safe before leaving each session. We review self-care strategies and what to expect between sessions. You leave feeling grounded, not in the middle of processing.
At each subsequent session, we check the work done previously to ensure changes are maintained. We identify any new aspects of the memory that need processing or any related memories that have emerged.
No GP referral needed. Appointments within 1 week. Allianz AXA Bupa Global Cigna and WPA accepted
EMDR doesn’t just target isolated symptoms — it addresses the entire network of related memories and beliefs. Processing one traumatic memory often leads to spontaneous improvements in related areas.
At London Trusted Therapy, we offer something that few London clinics provide: the integration of EMDR with somatic therapy.
Trauma is held not only in memories and thoughts, but in the body — in patterns of tension, bracing, collapse, and disconnection that persist long after the event. Addressing both the cognitive and the somatic dimensions of trauma produces more complete and lasting recovery.
Our specialist therapists are trained in both modalities and work with you to determine the most effective combination for your presentation. If your trauma manifests strongly in the body — through chronic tension, numbness, hyperarousal, or somatic flashbacks — this integrated approach is particularly valuable.
No. You’ll remember what happened, but it will feel different — like a memory of something that happened in the past rather than something happening now. The emotional charge diminishes, but the memory remains.
We'll take a thorough history, identify target memories, and assess your readiness for trauma processing. We'll explain EMDR, answer your questions, and ensure you understand what to expect. We'll assess your current stability, support system, and any factors that might affect treatment.
Before processing trauma, we'll teach you grounding and self-regulation techniques. We'll establish your 'safe place' or 'calm place' resource. We might spend several sessions on preparation, especially if you struggle with emotion regulation or dissociation. This foundation ensures safe trauma work.
During processing, you'll briefly focus on the traumatic memory whilst engaging in bilateral stimulation. You don't need to talk much — just notice what comes up. Sessions typically last 60-90 minutes. Processing continues until the memory no longer causes distress. Some memories are fully processed in one session; others require multiple sessions.
Your brain continues processing between sessions. You might notice dreams, memories, insights, or emotions emerging. This is normal and indicates processing is happening. We'll provide guidance on managing any between-session processing. You can use your self-soothing techniques if needed.
Once target memories are processed, we ensure changes are integrated into your life. We address any remaining triggers or related memories. We develop a plan for maintaining gains and managing any future difficulties. Many people continue with less frequent sessions as they consolidate healing.
Individual and Couples Psychotherapist EMDR
Individual Couples and Family Psychotherapist
Counselling Psychologist Individual and Couples Psychotherapist EMDR
Individual Couples Family and Group Psychotherapist EMDR
Counselling Psychologist Individual and Family Psychotherapist EMDR
Clinical Psychologist Individual and Family Psychotherapist
Starting EMDR requires courage. Facing traumatic memories, even briefly, can feel daunting. However, with proper preparation, support, and the EMDR protocol, you can process these memories safely and effectively. You don’t need to be ‘ready’ to talk about your trauma — EMDR meets you where you are.
EMDR offers a path to being able to remember it without being controlled by it. It's about moving from flashbacks to memories, from hypervigilance to safety, from avoidance to engagement with life. Trauma doesn't have to define you or limit your life.
You deserve to live without constant fear, intrusive memories, or the belief that you're damaged. EMDR can help your brain complete the processing it couldn't do at the time of the trauma, allowing you to integrate these experiences and move forward.
Through EMDR, we support you in moving beyond survival mode, allowing your nervous system to settle and your experiences to take their place in the past. If you're ready to process your trauma and reclaim your life, we're here to help.
Should you feel that your first session did not meet your expectations or that your therapist wasn’t a good fit, we will provide another session completely free of charge with a different practitioner.
We are proud to work in partnership with major UK and global insurers, as an approved mental health provider, supporting various clients in their therapy journey around the globe.
