EMDR Therapy in Oxfordshire and Online

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a well-established therapy for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, recommended by NICE for the treatment of PTSD in adults. Dr Dan White offers EMDR therapy to adults in Wallingford, Didcot, Abingdon, Oxford and Henley, and online across the UK, alongside CBT and IFS. 

What is EMDR?

EMDR was developed by the American psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and has since become one of the most thoroughly researched treatments for trauma.

It rests on a simple observation. Most difficult experiences are digested by the brain over time: they become memories, filed away, uncomfortable to recall but no longer live. Some experiences do not get digested. They stay stored in something closer to their original form, with the images, sounds, thoughts and bodily sensations of the moment still attached. When something in the present touches that memory, the whole package can fire at once, which is why a trauma response so often feels as though it is happening now rather than being remembered.

EMDR helps the brain to complete the processing it did not manage at the time. While you hold the memory in mind, you follow a set of what is called bilateral stimulation: usually the therapist's fingers moving from side to side, though tapping or alternating sounds can be used instead. Sets are short, and between each one we pause and you simply tell me what came up.

Two things are worth saying clearly, because they are the things people most often worry about. EMDR does not erase memories. And it does not require you to give a detailed account of what happened. Many people find this a considerable relief.

What EMDR can help with?

EMDR is best known and best evidenced as a treatment for PTSD, and NICE recommends it for adults with PTSD. In practice its use is broader than that, and there is a growing evidence base across a range of presentations: 

• Post-traumatic stress disorder, including complex and repeated trauma

• Single-incident trauma such as road traffic accidents, assaults, medical procedures, difficult births and bereavements

• The lasting effects of childhood adversity

• Anxiety and panic that can be traced back to specific frightening experiences

• Phobias

• Persistent low self-esteem rooted in particular memories

• Performance anxiety

• Difficult or traumatic grief

Not everyone needs EMDR, and it is not always the right starting point. Part of the initial assessment is working out whether it is likely to help you, and if so, when. 

What happens in EMDR therapy ?

EMDR follows a structured eight-phase protocol. In practice it breaks down into three stages. 

Preparation 

We start with history and understanding: what has happened, what is troubling you now, and which memories seem to sit underneath. We then spend time building stability, which means making sure you have reliable ways of settling your nervous system and stepping back from distress before we go anywhere near processing. This stage is not a formality. It is what makes the rest of the work safe, and with complex histories it can take several sessions. 

Processing 

We identify a target memory, along with the belief attached to it ("I am in danger", "it was my fault", "I am powerless") and where you feel it in your body. Then we begin sets of bilateral stimulation, pausing between each one. Your job is simply to notice what happens and report it. Mine is to keep the process moving and to help if it gets stuck. Most people find the memory gradually loses its vividness and its grip, and that a more accurate belief begins to take its place. 

Integration 

We check that the memory has settled, that the new belief holds, and that nothing is left unresolved in the body. We then look at how this changes things in the present and the future, and whether other memories need attention. 

You stay in control throughout. You can stop a set at any point, and we agree a signal for that at the start. 

EMDR online 

EMDR can be delivered effectively online. The bilateral stimulation is provided using on-screen movement or alternating sounds, and the structure of the work is otherwise unchanged. Online EMDR suits many people, particularly those balancing work and travel, though it is not right for everyone and we would discuss it as part of your assessment. 

My EMDR training 

I have completed standard EMDR training accredited by EMDR Europe. This sits alongside my BABCP accreditation as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, my Level 1 training with the IFS Institute, and over twenty years of clinical experience across the NHS and private practice, including specialist NHS work with complex and difficult-to-treat presentations. 

Common questions about EMDR 

Will I have to describe what happened in detail? 

No. I need enough to identify the memory we are working with and the belief attached to it, but EMDR does not require a full narrative account. This is one of the main differences between EMDR and trauma-focused CBT. 

How many sessions will I need? 

For a single traumatic incident in someone who is otherwise well, processing can sometimes be completed in a handful of sessions once preparation is done. Where trauma is repeated, prolonged, or began in childhood, the work takes considerably longer and the preparation stage carries more weight. I will give you a realistic estimate after assessment rather than at the outset. 

Is EMDR safe? 

EMDR is a well-established treatment with a strong safety record when delivered by a properly trained therapist who has prepared the ground first. It is normal to feel tired or emotionally stirred up after a processing session, and occasionally material continues to surface between appointments. We plan for that, and I will make sure you know what to do if it happens. 

Do I need a diagnosis of PTSD to have EMDR? 

No. Plenty of people who benefit from EMDR would not meet the criteria for PTSD. What matters is whether unprocessed experience seems to be driving the difficulty you are facing now. 

Can EMDR be combined with CBT Or IFS?

Yes, and in my practice they regularly are. These modalities can fit together well, and moving between them is a normal part of the work rather than an exception. 

Which therapy is right for me? 

This is the question I am regularly asked, and the honest answer is that you do not need to work it out on your own. What follows may help you get a sense of it, but we will decide together. 

You might find CBT most helpful if 

You want a structured, practical approach with clear tools and homework between sessions. Your difficulty is well defined: worry that will not switch off, panic attacks, OCD, health anxiety, social anxiety, a phobia, low mood. You want to understand the mechanics of what keeps the problem going and learn skills you can keep using afterwards. CBT has the largest evidence base of any psychological therapy for these presentations and is recommended by NICE across most of them. It is a very obvious place to begin.

You might find EMDR most helpful if 

Specific memories intrude on the present: flashbacks, nightmares, a sense of reliving rather than remembering. There was an identifiable event, or series of events, and something about you changed afterwards. You know rationally that you are safe now but your body has not caught up. Or you would rather not spend weeks talking through the detail of what happened. CBT often requires between session tasks to embed the therapy, but this is not usually a feature of EMDR.

You might find IFS most helpful if 

You recognise yourself as pulled in different directions: a part that wants to change and a part that resists it, a relentless inner critic, a part that shuts down when things get difficult. You have done cognitive work before and found that the belief kept coming back despite the evidence against it. Or you would like an approach that is less about challenging what you think and more about understanding why a part of you holds on to it so firmly. 

Ready to take the next step? 

If you would like to discuss whether EMDR might help, or you are not sure which approach is right for you, I would be glad to hear from you.

Email: dan@sinodunhillCBT.com