Welcome to GoEMDR
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — is a therapy that helps your brain reprocess memories that were not healthily integrated in the memory system. It is recognised by the World Health Organisation and endorsed by numerous clinical guidelines.
A metaphor often used in EMDR: when you break a bone, the emergency room does not simply put a cast on it. They first set the fracture — because if the bones are not properly aligned, they will mend crooked or misaligned. EMDR works similarly. It helps realign the system so that the brain’s natural healing process can re-engage and release the negative influence of traumatic memories that belong to the past.
This program is designed to help you understand what EMDR is and how and why it works. If you are already in therapy, it is designed as a resource that supports and extends your sessions. If you are considering therapy, it can help you prepare and decide whether this approach is right for you.
Why This Program
This program focuses on preparation and stabilisation — the groundwork that increases the likelihood that trauma processing and therapy will lead to the best outcomes.
It also covers the science and theory behind trauma: why your system reacts the way it does, why you are not broken, and why most trauma responses are adaptive reactions that went wrong — and can be resolved.
This material is designed to be worked through before and between therapy sessions. It makes the psychoeducation work more systematic and thorough. It also frees session time for the processing work that requires a therapist present.
The Two Stages
EMDR is structured in eight phases, which fall into two stages. The first stage is what this program supports:
History gathering, readiness assessment, and building the skills needed to manage distress — stabilisation, emotional regulation, and containment.
Targeting specific memories, reprocessing them with bilateral stimulation, installing positive beliefs, and evaluating progress. This requires a trained therapist.
🎓 A Note on Research References
Throughout this program, you will see expandable toggles marked with 🎓 or 📖 — these contain the research evidence and source material behind what we describe. Click to expand them if you want to go deeper. The main text is written to be accessible without them.