EMDR Treatment
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — a structured therapy for distressing memories.
EMDR is an eight-phase, evidence-based therapy recommended for post-traumatic stress. It uses bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements — while you attend briefly to a target memory, allowing the brain to reprocess it so it loses its charge.
Sessions are structured and predictable. You are not asked to give a detailed narrative of the event, which makes EMDR a good option for people who find talking through trauma in depth intolerable.
EMDR is also used for distressing single memories that sit outside a formal PTSD diagnosis — a medical event, an accident, a humiliating experience that still surfaces.
What to expect
Phases one to three cover history, resourcing and target selection. Processing begins after that, in short repeated sets with a check-in between each. You are never asked to hold a memory continuously, and each session ends with containment work.
How many sessions will I need?
This is agreed with you after the preparation phases, once the number of target memories is clear. Multiple memories or complex trauma require more time, because each target is processed in turn.
Evidence base
Source: phoenixaustralia.org
EMDR is recommended as a first-line psychological treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in the Australian PTSD guidelines published by Phoenix Australia, and by the World Health Organization.
How we work with this
The shape of treatment, step by step — adjusted to what you bring and the pace you set.
Thorough preparation
We build resourcing and regulation skills before any memory is targeted, and agree on stop signals you control.
Processing in phases
Short, repeated sets of bilateral stimulation with regular check-ins — never a single overwhelming session.
Consolidation
Each session closes with containment work, and we track shifts between appointments.
Questions about EMDR Treatment
What actually happens during EMDR?
You attend briefly to a target memory while following a bilateral stimulus, most often guided eye movements, in short sets of around thirty seconds. Between sets you report what shifted. The memory loses its charge across repeated sets.
Do I need a PTSD diagnosis for EMDR?
No. EMDR is also used for single distressing memories outside a formal diagnosis, including a medical event, an accident or a humiliating experience that still surfaces.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
That is agreed with you once the preparation phases are complete and the number of target memories is clear. Multiple targets or complex trauma take longer.
Can EMDR be done over telehealth?
Yes. Bilateral stimulation adapts to video delivery, and Medicare rebates apply the same as for in-person sessions.
Related services
Book with Peter
Sessions run 50 minutes, in our Melbourne CBD rooms or by secure video. No referral needed to begin.