EMDR Therapy in Melbourne

Making sense of what your nervous system has been carrying.

When the past keeps showing up in the present

Maybe it's flinching when someone raises their voice, even when they're not talking to you. Perhaps it's reacting strongly to situations that seem small on the surface but feel much bigger internally, or feeling your chest tighten before you've even opened a text from someone who has hurt you before. Trauma doesn't always look like one individual event, and can often develop across a cumulative moments that taught your nervous system that it wasn't safe to relax.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is one of the evidence-based approaches used at The Felt Sense to help the brain to safely recategorise trauma memories so that they can stop running the show.

Using bilateral stimulation, like guided eye movements or butterfly tapping, EMDR helps memories move from feeling raw and present-tense into something you can look back on without your body reacting as though it is happening all over again.

There is often a misconception that EMDR, and trauma more broadly, is only for "big T" traumas (like accidents, assault or natural disasters). In reality, "little t" traumas (like growing up walking on eggshells, chronic criticism/invalidation, bullying or years spent masking just to feel accepted) can leave just as real an imprint on the nervous system. Both are valid and deserve equal care, whether or not they align with a tidy definition of what trauma is “expected” to look like.

A person with brown skin wearing a short-sleeved shirt is sitting on a tan leather chair. On their lap, there is a silver laptop, a white notepad, and a glass cup filled with a yellowish beverage. In the background, there are potted plants, including a large one with green, split leaves.

Helping you to redefine the living legacy of trauma.

How EMDR can help

Whilst EMDR is widely recognised as an effective treatment for trauma, it can also be helpful for various other life difficulties, including:

  • A persistent inner critic, low self-esteem and shame

  • People pleasing and perfectionism

  • Persistent feelings of not being “good enough”

  • Anxiety and panic.

  • Grief and loss

  • Addictive behaviours, cravings and urges.

    If you're stuck in a loop of overthinking, dread or self-doubt that logic alone has struggled to shift, EMDR may be able to help target the specific memories or beliefs perpetuating it, so that lasting change continues beyond the session. At The Felt Sense, EMDR is offered alongside other evidence-based approaches in Thornbury and via telehealth, tailored to what you're carrying, beyond simply a diagnosis on paper.

Therapist demonstrating how EMDR therapy can help process trauma at The Felt Sense

  • EMDR is grounded in the idea that your brain has an in-built system for processing life experiences. This is sort of like a filing cabinet, where they are sorted, categorised, and then filed accordingly. When something distressing happens, especially if it happens repeatedly or whilst you are overwhelmed, this natural processing can get interrupted. Much like the way a splinter interrupts your body’s ability to heal a wound, a “stuck” memory can end up in limbo, outside of the filing cabinet, and instead categorised by your brain as “unprocessed”. This can leave you to still carry the original image, emotion, body sensation and belief (such as "I'm not safe"), almost as if it is still happening in the present. This is why certain triggers can make you feel like you are carried right back there, sometimes even years later.

  • Before any reprocessing can begin, earlier sessions are spent understanding your needs and triggers, and building trust. This process is called resourcing, and it is essential in setting the foundations for psychological safety (for example: having tools to manage if intense emotions arise within or outside of sessions).

    To start reprocessing, we identify a specific target (such as a memory or belief) that still feels distressing. Whilst you hold this in mind, you will be gently guided through sets of bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements/tapping depending on what feels comfortable for you). This action of dual attention is This process is thought to work by placing a light, steady demand on your working memory, which helps your brain reprocess distressing memories and file them into normal, everyday memory storage.

    Over the course of reprocessing, the memory typically becomes less distressing and more like something you can recall without your body reacting as though it's happening again. Once the distress has settled, we work on strengthening a more accurate, self-compassionate belief in its place, then finish with a body scan to check nothing's left feeling unsettled. Sessions are always paced to what feels manageable for you.

  • You don't need to feel completely ready before conversations about EMDR can happen. Readiness is a continuous process that we build together. Before any reprocessing begins, we spend time understanding what's brought you in and developing coping resources and a sense of safety in the room, so your nervous system has some steadiness to draw on before we work with anything distressing. If you're feeling overwhelmed just thinking about a memory, or unsure whether what you've been through warrants EMDR, that is a very normal place to sit. The pace is always led by you, and different versions of EMDR can be discussed and adapted to your individual needs. The honest answer is that most people don't feel ready in the way they expect to, and that's okay. Instead, what matters more is having the right support in place as we go.

  • Bilateral stimulation is a core component. ofhow EMDR works, and involves a back and forth pattern of movement/sensation that alternates between the left and right sides of your body. Most commonly, this involves guided eye movements, though tapping (alternating taps on your hands or knees) and alternating tones through headphones work just as well if eye movements don't feel right for you. Whilst you hold a distressing memory in mind, this left-right rhythm is thought to engage both sides of the brain in a way that mimics the natural processing that happens during REM sleep, helping the memory lose some of its emotional intensity as your brain works through it. You'll always have a say in which form feels most comfortable, and we can adjust the pace or type at any point during a session.

  • Feel free to book a free 15-minute chat to get a sense of whether The Felt Sense feels like the right fit for you. From there, we'll organise your first session, in person in Thornbury, Melbourne, or via telehealth. No referral is needed to book, though if you have a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, bring the details along so your Medicare rebate can be processed from the start.