EMDR begins with time spent getting to know you and understanding what has brought you to the service. Your therapist will help you explore how past experiences are affecting you now, including the coping strategies you use when life feels difficult or overwhelming.

As part of the work, you may be supported to develop healthier ways of managing stress and to use grounding exercises that help your nervous system settle after processing upsetting memories. This is an important part of trauma-informed therapy, because healing is not just about talking about what happened, but also about helping your body feel safer.

Once a memory has been worked through, your therapist will check in with how you are feeling both physically and emotionally. Sometimes that process can happen in one session, and sometimes it takes longer. EMDR is not about making you forget what happened; it is one way we can help you understand your experience, reduce its hold on the present and support healing in a safe and paced way.