Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR)
What it is
Whether it can help you
A brief case study of EMDR therapy
You’re smart, capable, and outwardly holding it all together - but inside, things feel increasingly unsustainable.
You’ve hit a point where stress, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion are no longer manageable with your usual coping strategies.
This isn’t about needing “more self-care.”
It’s about interrupting deeply ingrained patterns before they take a long-term toll.
I’m Dr Claire Plumbly, a clinical psychologist specialising in intensive trauma and burnout recovery for professionals who need deep, lasting change - delivered with clarity, efficiency, and psychological depth.
You’re smart, capable, and outwardly holding it all together - but inside, things feel increasingly unsustainable.
You’ve hit a point where stress, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion are no longer manageable with your usual coping strategies.
This isn’t about needing “more self-care.”
It’s about interrupting deeply ingrained patterns before they take a long-term toll.
I’m Dr Claire Plumbly, a clinical psychologist specialising in intensive trauma and burnout recovery for professionals who need deep, lasting change - delivered with clarity, efficiency, and psychological depth.
EMDR is particularly helpful when past experiences continue to affect how you feel, think, or respond in the present
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
When something frightening or distressing happens, the brain’s natural processing system can get interrupted. This can leave memories feeling stuck, along with the emotions, body sensations, and beliefs that went with them.
During EMDR, you focus briefly on a distressing memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping). This taps into the brain's natural ability to process information into a digestible format, making the memory less emotionally charged and easier to think about.
Over time, people often notice that:
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Memories feel more distant or less vivid
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Emotional reactions reduce
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New perspectives or insights emerge
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The past feels less present in everyday life
Who does EMDR help?
EMDR can be helpful for people experiencing:
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Trauma or distressing life events
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Anxiety or panic
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Burnout and chronic stress
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Ongoing feelings of shame or self-blame
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Strong emotional reactions that feel hard to control
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Distressing memories or images that intrude unexpectedly
Many people we work with are high-functioning and capable, but feel held back by emotional responses that don’t seem to match their current situation.
Case Study of EMDR
Rashida* was a ward manager who sought therapy after the pandemic, describing severe burnout, emotional numbness, sleep disturbance, and intrusive memories from her time managing an acute hospital ward. Although she had remained operational throughout the pandemic, she reported feeling “broken” afterwards and unable to return to work in the same way.
In assessment, Rashida described repeated experiences of moral injury. She had been required to make decisions about staffing, care priorities, and infection control that conflicted with her professional values. She carried intense guilt about patients who died without family present and staff she felt she had not adequately protected, alongside a belief that she should have “done more,” despite working extreme hours under impossible conditions.
In EMDR therapy, Rashida first focused on stabilisation and nervous system regulation to support safety and containment. EMDR processing then targeted specific memories, including moments of having to deny family visits and a memory of feeling trapped whilst completing rotas late at night after emotionally overwhelming shifts.
Bilateral stimulation was delivered through guided eye movements during online sessions. As processing progressed, the emotional intensity of these memories reduced. Rashida reported a softening of guilt and self-blame, greater compassion towards herself, and an increased ability to reflect on her actions within the reality of the system she was working in. This allowed her to reconnect with her values without being overwhelmed by shame or exhaustion.
*Rashida is a fictious character that I've created for the purposes of demonstrating how EMDR works. The information here comes from many years experience working with similar themes arising from clients.