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.
10 March 2026
Jameela Jamil talks about having EMDR therapy
Actor, activist and presenter Jameela Jamil talks about how much she benefitted from EMDR therapy in this video podcast with actor Michael Rosenbaum. She describes how the therapy saved her life and “completely re-wired my relationship to trauma and fear.” Host Rosenbaum discloses that he also had effective EMDR therapy.
27 January 2026
EMDR hits the big screen
EMDR therapy hits the big screen in the recently released film See You When I See You. The main character, played by Cooper Raiff, is seen in his EMDR therapy sessions and the film draws inspiration from the real-life tragedy endured by screenwriter Adam Cayton-Holland, who adapted the screenplay from his comic memoir, Tragedy Plus Time.
16 January 2026
“You Should Try EMDR.”
The author of this HuffPost article shares how these four words changed his life, describing how EMDR therapy brought a powerful healing experience from the traumatic grief of losing his life partner.
13 January 2026
Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu says EMDR changed her life
Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu reveals there was a time when she felt her situation was beyond anyone’s help, and she had suicidal thoughts, until EMDR therapy changed her life. She shares her experiences in The Times of India.
8 January 2026
EMDR Article in BPS’s Top Ten Most Viewed
EMDR therapy research features in the British Psychological Society’s round up of the Top Ten Most Viewed Articles of 2025. It includes this Simpson et al., 2025 article ‘Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness of EMDR for Treatment and Prevention of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. This systematic review of RCTs and cost-effectiveness studies assessed PTSD symptoms in adults, published since the NICE 2018 guidelines. EMDR was compared with TF-CBT, waitlist, or usual care
24 December 2025
Lily Allen has EMDR therapy
Lily Allen shared on the MissMe? Podcast, that she is having EMDR therapy to handle a spending addiction:
“I started doing EMDR about four months ago, five months ago,” Allen said, before adding: “It’s like been life-changing. I just absolutely love it.”
15 November 2025
EMDR therapy helped Miley Cyrus and Prince Harry: how does it work?
Journalist Anthea Rowan became interested in EMDR after it was recommended that her daughter have the therapy to cope with the intrusive thoughts that often accompany her OCD. This article references celebrities who had EMDR, gives a brief history of the therapy, and an in-depth explanation informed by Dr Mikayla Matthews. Rowan shares how the treatment helped her daughter, and includes a link to EMDR UK’s animation video about EMDR.
24 October 2025
Celebrity Chef Valerie Bertinelli had EMDR for Childhood Trauma
People magazine reports on how the celebrity chef and cookbook author Valerie Bertinelli spoke on the Drew Barrymore Show about her memoir, and how “EMDR therapy has been ‘life saving’ for coping with childhood trauma. Her story is also covered in the New York Post.
25 September 2025
“I attended a protest against violence – then I was stabbed”
Bahaar Joya was living – and working as a BBC journalist – in Kabul in 2015 when she witnessed the brutal killing of Farkhunda who was stoned and burned to death by a mob after she was falsely accused of burning the Quran. Malikzada was just 27.
Bahaar Joya went onto suffer from PTSD something that, as a result, led her to EMDR therapy.
2 September 2025
Deep dive into EMDR therapy with EMDR therapist and trainer Lizy Wiggins
Psychology Today has interviewed EMDR therapist and trainer Lizy Wiggins. In a wide-ranging piece, Lizy says that – like many other therapists who have seen the limitations of purely cognitive work when it comes to trauma – she craved new tools: ”It just felt like we weren’t getting to the core of things. We were reframing thoughts, reinforcing good decisions and healthy behaviours, and teaching coping skills, but it felt like the trauma was still there” You can read Lizy’s full interview with psychotherapist Jennifer Gerlach here: