Discover EMDR
Overcoming the effects of trauma
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a unique, powerful therapy that helps people recover from problems triggered by traumatic events in their lives. It stops difficult memories causing so much distress by helping the brain to reprocess them properly, working with memory to heal the legacy of past pain.
EMDR therapy is best known for treating PTSD but can help with a range of mental health conditions in people of all ages including depression and anxiety.
Internationally recognised, EMDR therapy is endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; the World Health Organisation; The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies; the NHS (in the UK); and many other bodies. There are more than 10,000 trained EMDR therapists in the UK alone, and it has helped millions of people worldwide.
It is very important to see a properly qualified therapist. For information see Find a therapist.
EMDR in the media
Please note, various media coverage is shown here in order to share with you many different people’s experiences of EMDR treatment. For authoritative descriptions and definitions of the therapy please return to this site as the EMDR Association is not responsible for third party content.
8 August 2025
EMDR UK Patron Darren McGarvey’s narrates his new book ‘Trauma Industrial Complex’ for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Book of The Week’.
Speaking on the book’s theme, Darren said: “Today, trauma permeates media, from music and television to films and books – my own included. While the increasing openness is welcome, I’ve observed that this rise has been accompanied by a parallel explosion of disinformation and sometimes harmful guidance about how to deal with personal trauma.”
5 August 2025
“I had sleepless nights and would wake up screaming with flashbacks of gunshots and explosions…I became a shell of who I once was.”
Army veteran Kris describing the impact on his mental health of nine years of operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. This article in ‘About Manchester’ describes how therapy, including EMDR, from a Military Veteran’s Service, turned his life around
29 July 2025
Complex trauma is one of the LGBTQIA+ community’s biggest challenges – it affects them at a higher rate than the population as a whole, for reasons including discrimination, bullying, abuse, and isolation.
This article looks at the treatments available, including EMDR.
29 July 2025
EMDR therapy is featured in a new BBC drama described by The Guardian in its five-star review as “mesmeric…and even better than ‘Adolescence’”.
‘Unforgiveable’ is dubbed as a “rich, subtle look at child sexual abuse featuring a stellar cast putting in faultless performances”, adding “it’s lack of easy answers feels exactly right”.
Written by the BAFTA, Emmy and Royal Television Society award-winning Jimmy McGovern, ‘Unforgiveable’ is available to watch on BBC iPlayer:
24 June 2025
EMDR is being heralded as ‘life-changing’ for mental health treatment. But what is it?
ABC News in Australia spoke to Samuel Paske who turned to EMDR following the death of his mother from an aggressive and rare form of blood cancer. It also discussed the therapy with Melbourne-based model and influencer Olivia Molly Rogers who, says of her experience: “From the first session I felt different. After three sessions I noticed a reduction in my general anxiety but, in particular, when I think about specific memories. It’s made a huge difference for me.”
23 June 2025
Miley Cyrus has spoken candidly to both the New York Times and [American] Vogue about how EMDR transformed her life and brought her crippling stage anxiety to an end. Across the interviews, the three-time Grammy award-winning artist said: “Love it. Saved my life,” adding her stage fright had gone. In Vogue, she said EMDR felt like watching a movie in her mind, calling it vivid and emotional, but grounding.
3 April 2025
An article in The Irish Independent asks what is EMDR and how does it work, as the therapy grows in popularity, including being named by Sandra Bullock to help her overcome the trauma of a house break-in, and featured in the film Baby Girl.
1 April 2025
Annabel McGoldrick, a speaker at EMDR UK’s recent conference, and her husband Jake Lynch, have written the first crime novel to feature a psychotherapist protagonist specialising in EMDR therapy.
26 March 2025
‘My life was a ticking time bomb’
This firefighter’s story is a classic example of what can happen, including the impact on the suffers’ family, when PTSD remains untreated, and the difference EMDR therapy can make.
15 March 2025
Psychology Today article ‘Goodgirling: A Shame and Trauma Based Ritual that Harms’ mentions EMDR as evidence-based for PTSD and “a specialized psychotherapy that relies on specialized techniques couples with courageously facing the origins of self-limiting beliefs.”