EMDR is a well-researched therapy which helps you process and heal from traumatic or adverse life experiences.
Through guided eye movements and focused attention, EMDR supports your mind’s natural healing processes, reducing the emotional impact of these experiences.
Our brain is like a filing system. Normally, when we experience something, our brain processes it and files it away in a way that makes sense, so we can learn from it and move on. But sometimes, especially stressful or traumatic events, the brain doesn’t fully process the memory. It gets stuck, like a file that didn’t save correctly.”
“The AIP model says that many of our emotional or physical problems—like anxiety, panic, flashbacks, or negative beliefs about ourselves—come from these unprocessed memories. They aren’t gone, but they are stored in a way that can still affect us today. Consequently, we may develop unhelpful ways of coping in life.
“Therapies like EMDR help your brain safely ‘reprocess’ these stuck memories. Think of it like your brain finally finishing filing the information correctly, so the memory becomes less upsetting and you can respond to life in a healthier way.”
Trauma can affect both the mind and the body. At Southern Psychotherapy, therapy may integrate EMDR, Somatic Therapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) and autonomic nervous system regulation to help you gently process distressing experiences and rebuild a sense of safety.
Somatic approaches support the release of trauma held in the body, while IFS helps you understand and heal emotional parts of yourself that have been shaped by difficult experiences.
