Kate Ramsay Counselling
    Mini article · 3 min read

    What is EMDR?

    A short, plain-language introduction to Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — what it is, how it works, and what a session actually looks like.

    A therapy for stuck memories

    EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a structured, evidence-based therapy developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, and it is recommended by both the NICE guidelines and the World Health Organization as a first-line treatment for PTSD.

    The idea behind EMDR is simple, even if the process is subtle: some memories don't get filed away properly. When something overwhelming happens, the brain can store the event in a raw, unprocessed form — the images, sounds, sensations and beliefs about yourself locked together as though the moment is still happening. EMDR helps the brain finish the processing it couldn't complete at the time.

    Unprocessed vs processed memoryOn the left, an unprocessed memory storing image, body sensation, emotion and belief as one raw bundle. On the right, the same memory processed and stored as a calmer narrative.Before EMDRimagebodyemotionbeliefEMDRAfter EMDRa memorystored as story,not as alarm
    EMDR helps the brain move a memory from raw, present-tense alarm into settled, remembered story.

    How does it actually work?

    While you briefly bring a difficult memory to mind, your therapist guides you through bilateral stimulation — usually side-to-side eye movements, but sometimes gentle tapping or alternating tones through headphones. This dual attention (past memory + present-moment stimulus) is thought to work in a similar way to the natural processing that happens during REM sleep, allowing the brain to update the memory with information it already has: it is over, I am here, I am safe now.

    Nothing is erased. What changes is the charge — the memory stops firing off as if it were still happening. Most people describe the event afterwards as something they remember, rather than something they relive.

    The eight phases of EMDRHistory, preparation, assessment, desensitisation, installation, body scan, closure and re-evaluation.Phase 1HistoryPhase 2PreparationPhase 3AssessmentPhase 4DesensitisationPhase 5InstallationPhase 6Body scanPhase 7ClosurePhase 8Re-evaluation
    EMDR follows eight structured phases — memory processing (phase 4) is only one part of the work.

    What a session feels like

    Early sessions focus on safety and resourcing — getting to know your history, learning grounding tools, and building an internal sense of a calm or safe place before any reprocessing begins. When you do start working with a memory, you stay in charge: you can pause, slow down, or stop at any point. Your job is not to relive anything, but to notice what comes up and let it pass through.

    Between sets of eye movements, your therapist will simply ask "what do you notice?". Images, feelings, body sensations or new thoughts may shift and settle across the session. Many people are surprised by how much movement happens without needing to talk through every detail.

    Is EMDR right for me?

    EMDR has strong evidence for single-incident trauma and PTSD, and is also used for complex trauma, grief, anxiety, phobias and painful memories that keep intruding on the present. It isn't a quick fix, and it isn't the right first step for everyone — a good trauma-informed therapist will spend time on stabilisation and only move into processing when your nervous system is ready.

    If you're curious, the best next step is a conversation with a qualified EMDR therapist who can help you decide together whether, and when, it might be useful.

    Where to go next

    To understand the nervous system responses EMDR helps settle, read What Is a Trigger? and Why Do We Freeze?. For preparing to meet a therapist, see How Therapy Can Help After Trauma.