EMDR Therapy in Bath

EMDR therapy for adults in Bath and online, offering a safe and thoughtful approach to working with trauma and distressing experiences.

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a psychological therapy that can help people process difficult or traumatic experiences that continue to affect them in the present.

Sometimes experiences can remain feeling very vivid or emotionally charged, even when we know they happened a long time ago. You may find yourself experiencing distressing memories, strong emotional or physical reactions, negative beliefs about yourself, or feeling triggered by situations that remind you of what happened.

EMDR aims to help the brain process these experiences so that they become less distressing and have less influence over how you feel and respond now.

What can EMDR help with?

EMDR is often associated with trauma and PTSD, but it can also be helpful for a wider range of difficulties where distressing experiences from the past continue to affect how you feel in the present.

This might include anxiety, upsetting or intrusive memories, difficult childhood experiences, loss, relationship experiences, medical trauma or other events that have left you feeling stuck or distressed.

You do not need to know whether an experience was “traumatic enough” for EMDR. We can think together about what has happened, how it is affecting you now and whether EMDR may be an appropriate approach for you.

What happens in EMDR therapy?

EMDR is more than simply using eye movements. We begin by spending time understanding what has brought you to therapy, what you would like help with and whether EMDR feels appropriate for you.

Before processing difficult memories, we will work on preparation and ways of helping you feel grounded and able to manage distress. When you are ready, EMDR involves bringing aspects of a memory to mind while using bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating tapping.

You remain awake, aware and in control throughout. You do not have to describe every detail of what happened, and we work at a pace that feels manageable for you.

EMDR sessions in Bath and online

I offer EMDR to adults from my private practice in Weston, Bath, as well as online. EMDR can be used as a focused therapy in its own right or as part of longer-term psychotherapy, depending on what you need.

If you are considering EMDR and are unsure whether it would be suitable for you, we can discuss this during an initial session. There is no expectation that we begin EMDR straight away; we will first take time to understand what you are experiencing and what you would like help with.