What this is EMDR is a structured, evidence-based approach that supports the processing of distressing or traumatic experiences that feel stuck—memories, emotional responses, or body-based reactions that continue to impact present-day life in ways that insight alone hasn't been able to shift.

Unlike the somatic and relational thread that runs continuously through all of our work, EMDR is a distinct lane. It follows a specific protocol with defined phases, and we enter and close it with care and intention. But it is not separate from the larger orientation we bring to the work. The somatic awareness, the parts work lens, and the relational quality of our therapeutic relationship all come with us into it. The structure holds the process, not the other way around.

What people often experience People come to EMDR when something feels disproportionately persistent—memories that intrude, emotional reactions that seem larger than the present moment warrants, or body-based responses that arise without a clear understanding of why. There may be experiences that feel impossible to approach directly through conversation, or patterns that keep returning despite genuine insight and effort.

EMDR offers a way to work with how these experiences are stored in the nervous system, supporting a more adaptive integration of what has felt unresolvable.

How I use this in therapy I use EMDR following standard protocol; which means moving through phases of preparation, resourcing, assessment, processing, and integration, collaboratively and at a pace that honours your nervous system and capacity for safety. We do not move into processing before sufficient stability and resourcing are established.

Throughout, I remain attentive to what the body is holding, and to the parts of you that may be present in the material being processed. The protocol provides the structure. The relationship, the somatic attunement, and the larger framework of the work provide the ground it stands on.

EMDR may be used as a focused treatment, or woven into a longer therapeutic journey, but always in service of the same destination. More space. More integration. More freedom in the present from what has been carried from the past.