EMDR Therapy: A Path to Healing for Expats and Beyond

Life as an expatriate can be exciting, but it can also bring unique challenges, especially when past experiences resurface in the face of new stressors like culture shock, homesickness, or adjustment difficulties. Whether you're coping with the emotional effects of past trauma or struggling with anxiety, phobias, or other mental health concerns, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) could be a powerful tool to help you move forward.

I offer both online and in-person EMDR therapy, making it convenient to access support, no matter where you are in the world. Let’s work together to help you process unresolved emotional difficulties and achieve greater well-being, both as an expat and beyond.

What is EMDR Therapy and How Can It Help?

EMDR is a highly effective therapeutic approach that helps "unstick" troubling memories or emotional experiences that, due to their traumatic nature, haven’t been fully processed. Instead of being stored as past events, these memories may remain active and continue to cause distress through symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, or feelings of heightened anxiety and jumpiness.

By using EMDR, we can work to desensitise you to the emotional intensity of these memories, so you can think about them without the same overwhelming feelings. While EMDR was initially designed to treat trauma and PTSD, it has also been shown to help with a wide range of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, phobias, and even addictive behaviours.

How does EMDR work?

After practising strategies to feel safe and grounded in the present moment, the processing part of EMDR involves bilateral stimulation of the brain when thinking about a difficult memory (or feeling or thought associated with it). This can be done by looking at the therapist’s hand as it moves back and forth from side to side, or by tapping or listening to alternating sounds which occur in sequence from left to right. As this happens, for reasons believed to be connected with the biological mechanisms involved in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, internal associations arise, and the clients begin to process the memory and disturbing feelings. In successful online EMDR therapy, the meaning of painful events is transformed on an emotional level.

EMDR diagram — EMDR eight phases and past-present-future structure

The EMDR Journey: From Past to Future

EMDR is a structured therapy that follows an 8-phase model, working through the past, present, and future:

Past Memories: We begin by addressing the root cause—troubling past experiences that are triggering distress in your life now.
Present Triggers: EMDR then targets the triggers in your current life that activate these feelings, whether it’s a certain situation, person, or environment.
Future Rehearsal: Finally, we rehearse future scenarios that may have once been difficult, helping you approach them with new thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

Every person’s experience is different, so the number of sessions will depend on your specific needs. Unlike trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), EMDR typically requires less direct exposure to the trauma and involves less between-session work, making it a gentle yet effective approach.

How Can Online EMDR Help You?

If you're living abroad or prefer therapy from the comfort of your own space, online EMDR therapy is just as effective as in-person sessions. We’ll make small adjustments to ensure that bilateral stimulation is delivered smoothly in the online setting, ensuring a seamless experience no matter where you're based.

Having supported clients across the UK through online EMDR, I’ve seen firsthand how transformative this approach can be in addressing a range of issues, from trauma and PTSD to anxiety and addictive behaviours.

Moving Forward Together

If you're an expat grappling with past trauma, culture shock, or emotional challenges related to your new life abroad—or if you're seeking support for general mental health concerns—EMDR could be a great fit for you. To find out more, I invite you to book a brief consultation with me. We can discuss your needs and explore how EMDR therapy, whether online or face-to-face, can help you achieve lasting emotional relief and greater mental well-being.

I'm here to support you on this journey—let's take the first step together. Reach out today!

Let's talk