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.
21 August 2026
Minnie Driver has EMDR therapy
Actor Minnie Driver shares reflections about her trauma following a life threatening car accident, and says she had EMDR therapy as part of her efforts to heal.
11 August 2026
EMDR for intensive care patients with PTSD
BBC South reports on new research from the University of Southampton showing how EMDR therapy can be effective in people who have stayed in intensive care units (ICU), facing near-death and painful experiences. It shares patient Hazel Southam’s success story: “I was well cared for [in the ICU] but experienced delirium, probably because of the medication. I was later told that I had post-ICU PTSD… Before EMDR I was incredibly anxious, and stressed and suffered from insomnia, after EMDR I understood what had happened to me, it didn’t hold as much fear and I could sleep.”
10 August 2026
Abuse perpetrator brought to justice
BBC Manchester reports how EMDR therapy helped a victim of childhood abuse struggling with her mental health. She and her sister were able to bring the perpetrator to justice, and a memory recovered during therapy became a key piece of verifiable evidence. She says: “It was like a whole weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I knew that it was over. He can’t hurt anyone anymore.”
17 July 2026
‘What Integration Actually Felt Like: A Psychologist’s Lived Experience of Dissociative Identity Disorder’
Psychiatry Online highlights a personal account in which psychologist Adrian Fletcher (pictured) undergoes EMDR therapy among other trauma treatments and chronicles her lived experience of dissociative identity disorder, describing her unfolding understanding of integrative healing.
2 July 2026
Wimbledon player reduces stress with EMDR therapy
Tennis player Claire Liu, who reached the third round at Wimbledon 2026, has shared a lot about the stress of achieving and maintaining professional athlete status. This article in the LA Times names EMDR therapy as one of the ways she has sought relief.
3 June 2026
Influencer Bridget Bahl to have EMDR following cancer treatment
“…there’s like a whole survivor’s guilt kind of thing that comes along with surviving cancer. You kind of don’t always allow yourself to feel all of the feelings, because you’re like, I should just be so happy that I’m alive.”
Bridget Bahl shares how she is planning to have EMDR therapy to address the mental health impact of living with, and surviving stage 2 breast cancer. Read the full story in ‘People’ magazine:
23 April 2026
EMDR and healing the scars of financial abuse
This ‘Goop’ article explores the issue of financial abuse within a relationship and how to recognise it. It highlights EMDR in particular as therapeutic model that can be hugely beneficial as a way to heal, saying: “It gives you a way to look at how you feel about yourself and how you process emotion as a result of trauma… for example [from] ‘I’m weak because I was abused’ to ‘I am now strong and aware.’”
22 April 2026
Recognising when therapy has run its course
Thoughtful termination of therapy is not just good ethics, says the American Psychological Association [APA], it is key to a sustainable practice and your own self-care Marnie Shanbhag, PhD, senior director of APA’s Office of Independent Practice, says: “Psychologists care deeply about our patients’ feelings, especially when they want to continue in treatment with us, but we also have an ethical obligation to terminate in certain situations. Doing so can help us be fully present for all our patients and make room for new patients as others meet their goals.”
22 April 2026
Taunton charity to offer EMDR therapy
A counselling charity in Taunton has launched a new initiative to support people dealing with distressing experiences. Somerset Counselling Centre, which supports residents across the county, now offers EMDR therapy. The centre currently works with more than 100 clients each month and delivers both short and long-term counselling on a sliding fee scale to make therapy accessible regardless of income.
14 April 2026
Joe Lycett: “I’m really grateful for that therapy.”
Comedian Joe Lycett talks about how EMDR therapy helped him. Having supported a close friend with a terminal illness, Joe developed a fear of vomiting (emetophobia). This part of the discussion comes at around 29 minutes into the podcast.