Will EMDR Work for Me?

claireplumbly
Sep 28
4 min read

Updated: Oct 4

Interest in EMDR therapy has grown in recent years. This blog answers some of the common questions that people have about this approach - How does EMDR work? Can I do EMDR online? And most importantly - will it work for me?!

EMDR can be life-changing, helping people shift very entrenched memories and body-stored patterns that traditional talking-therapy can struggle to access. But it isn’t one-size-fits-all. Here’s what you need to know before you make an enquiry.

A therapist holds her fingers in front of a client to conduct EMDR therapy — EMDR - the client follows the therapists' fingers as they move left and right. (Image copyright Dr Claire Plumbly, 2024)

What Happens In EMDR Therapy?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) helps the brain reprocess distressing memories so they stop feeling raw or triggering. It is an eight-phased treatment approach, but once you get to the trauma-processing sessions, your therapist will guide you to connect to a memory that they've assessed to be linked to your present-day difficulties. They then pair this with bilateral stimulation; activating the left then right hemispheres of the brain in quick succession, through either eye movements from a light-bar or from the therapist moving their fingers back and forth in front of you (image above); taps using the butterfly hug or tappers (image below), or sounds using headphones.

A client in an EMDR therapy session, sits with her hands holding the tappers — EMDR session using tappers which buzz in your hands. (Image copyright, Dr Claire Plumbly, 2024)

This left-right movement helps the brain file the memory in a healthier way so it feels more “in the past” and less like a live danger signal which helps your body to feel safe again.

Research shows EMDR can reduce anxiety, intrusive memories, and the feeling of being constantly on edge. Many people describe it as finally being able to move on from things they couldn’t shake - even after other therapies.

Is EMDR Right For Me?

EMDR has a strong evidence base for:

Post-traumatic stress (from one-off or repeated events)
Childhood trauma and neglect
Work-related stress and burnout with past triggering experiences such as being trapped in overwhelm; a toxic boss or redundancy; moral injury and so on.
Anxiety and panic
Grief and loss
Low self-esteem or perfectionism rooted in old experiences

It can even help those people who appear to be high-functioning, for example if you feel you’re “doing fine” outwardly but keep getting hijacked by anxiety, shame, or overwhelm inside, even though you can mask this to others.

Are There Times When EMDR Won't Work for Me?

Sometimes the processing phases of EMDR take time to reach. If you’re currently:

In severe crisis or barely managing day-to-day
Struggling with active addiction, self-harm, or psychosis (in which case you need a specialist in these areas to support you)
Have a tendency to dissociate - to be in the present

…this doesn't preclude you from EMDR therapy but we would spend more time in the earlier preparation phases focusing on stabilisation and coping strategies so the processing stage of EMDR feels safe and manageable.

EMDR is considered safe when delivered by a therapist who has completed accredited training and follows professional guidelines. To be sure, ask if their EMDR training is approved by a recognised organisation such as the EMDR Association UK & Ireland, EMDRIA (for US clients), or EMDR Europe

Can EMDR Therapy Be Done Online?

Yes it can, and research backs this up as a safe and effective option. The bilateral stimulation can be carried out online too, there are a few ways of doing this. The therapist will either teach you the butterfly hug - which you can see Prince Harry doing in his EMDR therapy session here - this allows you to control the pace of the tapping yourself. Or the therapist might use a special EMDR website with a moving target that crosses the screen - in this case we usually recommend conducting the session on a laptop rather than a mobile phone so that you get enough eye movement back and forth.

What EMDR Looks Like at Plum Psychology

We offer EMDR both in weekly sessions and in intensive formats for people who have a chunk of time which they can dedicate to faster progress. We carry out

A Comprehensive Assessment – to understand your history, symptoms and goals and assess the most appropriate approach to therapy for you. If at this stage we do not think this approach will be right we will advise you of this and make recommendations about an alternative and our reasons for this.
Careful Preparation – We teach you skills and strategies to help you stay steady while processing that can also be used to feel calm in your every day life.
Focused EMDR Sessions – Either weekly 50 minutes or in the case of our intensives half or full days which support momentum.
Online and in-person - EMDR can be carried our safely and effectively online as well as in-person. Your therapist will help you to prepare for online if you opt for this, read this article if you want to learn more about the effectiveness of online therapy.
Approved Training - Our therapists have carried out the correct training and receive regular EMDR supervision for their practice

This approach lets us go deep while keeping you safe and supported.

How to Tell if EMDR Could Work for You

Do certain memories or experiences still feel charged, painful, or “unfinished”?
Do anxiety or burnout keep coming back even though you’ve tried other strategies?
Are you ready for focused, evidence-based therapy with an experienced psychologist?
Do you have unexplained panic attacks, physical pains or bad dreams

If the answer’s yes to one or more, EMDR could be a good fit.

Bottom Line

EMDR isn’t magic - but it’s a well-researched and effective therapies for trauma and chronic stress which is used within many wellbeing services, including the police, NHS and trauma-charities. It can help you stop reliving the past, break free from anxious loops, and free you from patterns of behaviour that are keeping you stuck.