How I work: Trauma & EMDR

Many people believe that if they talk about a problem in the right way, for the right amount of time, their issue will be fixed. And that’s true for many human difficulties. But unhealed trauma lives below language, inside and under our emotional selves. So I focus my healing efforts on the feelings that live below my clients’ stories.

I began practising as a Social Worker counsellor in January 2016. After 2000 hours’ supervised clinical practice, in 2018 I qualified as an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. This means I’m eligible to offer Medicare rebates to my clients. I completed EMDR basic training in 2022 and have since attended EMDR master classes in 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026.

I use attachment-informed EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) to treat PTSD and CPTSD wounds. My clients have been traumatised by what did happen (“Big-T trauma”), by what didn’t happen (“Little-T trauma”), and often by both types of trauma. “What didn’t happen” is traumatic if it describes a damaging form of attachment experienced by a growing child.

A bridge, symbolising the therapeutic journey through trauma recovery

EMDR

Sadly, many people frequently experience dysregulated emotions, to greater or lesser degrees. These can be symptoms of unresolved trauma, or a person may have a neurodivergent brain that’s inclined to be overwhelmed by environmental or emotional stimuli. Some people feel a bit anxious much of the time, some go numb when in conflict, others erupt with angry outbursts that frighten others … to give just a few examples of a distressed CNS.

Attachment-informed Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (ai-EMDR) is a treatment modality that builds on the “bottom-up” principles of EMDR. It focuses on resolving the emotions and physical sensations attached to trauma and over-stimulation, rather than trying to process them through talk therapy alone (the “top-down” approach).

I like to introduce my clients to EMDR-informed work early in their therapy, to see how they respond to this non-cognitive approach. I also weave in a range of other modalities as needed including CBT, lots of psychoeducation, family-focused therapy and relaxation techniques – so there’s always plenty of talking!

Other body-oriented interventions clients can practise between sessions help them attune more closely to their feelings and internal awareness, such as yoga, meditation, walking, dance or swimming.