EMDR for Anxiety, Depression, and More

EMDR is not just for PTSD

Eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is best known for treating stereotypical trauma and PTSD; think car accidents and natural disasters. But, that’s just the beginning. It's a powerful, evidence-based therapy that helps your brain process and heal from overwhelming experiences that don't just fit into the typical 'trauma' box. This means we can use EMDR to improve anxiety, depression, and other mental health difficulties that aren't PTSD.

Even if you’ve never had flashbacks or a formal trauma/PTSD diagnosis, EMDR might still help. Many clients find it lifts depression, eases anxiety, softens harsh self-beliefs, and helps regulate emotions — especially when the past is quietly shaping how you feel now (spoiler alert, it frequently is).

Depression

If you’re dragging around a heaviness that won’t lift — if everything feels pointless or joyless — you might be dealing with depression. Trauma-related depression can feel like:

A numbness or sadness that lingers, no matter what you try
Feeling broken, hopeless, or like something’s fundamentally wrong with you
Relentless feelings of guilt or shame
You've tried other therapies and the logic is hitting, but you still feel the same

Sometimes, what looks like depression is really unprocessed trauma in disguise. EMDR helps by going deeper than symptom management — to the root.

Anxiety

Anxiety is what happens when your nervous system thinks the danger still isn’t over. It can look like:

Racing thoughts, looping worries, or constant worst-case scenarios
Tight chest, nausea, pounding heart
A nagging sense that something bad is coming — even when you know nothing’s logically wrong

EMDR helps your brain finally register: it’s over. You’re safe now.

Low self-worth

Trauma can seriously twist how you see yourself. You might not realise how brutal your inner voice has become until you notice things like:

Relentless self-criticism
Struggling to believe compliments
Feeling like a burden, or not enough for anyone
Saying yes when you mean no

That nasty inner voice? It’s often an echo of what your history has taught you somewhere along the line — not who you really are. EMDR helps you untangle that.

Emotional dysregulation

Feeling too much, or nothing at all (and probably swinging between those extremes). If you feel like you’re either drowning in emotion or completely numb, you’re not alone. Trauma can do that. You might:

Shut down or go blank when feelings get big
Snap or spiral quickly — even over small stuff
Feel like your emotions don’t make sense or aren’t yours

You’re not broken. Your nervous system’s been through a lot. EMDR helps bring balance back.

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone — and there’s nothing wrong with you.

EMDR can help you process the past so it stops running the show, and you can show up more fully in your present life.