When You Know You Are Ready for EMDR

Some people come to therapy unsure of what they need. Others arrive knowing, with some clarity, that they are ready to begin trauma work. If you have been thinking about EMDR for some time, a structured EMDR block may offer a focused way to begin.

Trauma can live on in the mind and body long after the event itself has passed. You may understand, intellectually, that something is over, yet still find yourself reacting as if it is happening now. You may feel suddenly overwhelmed, numb, frightened, ashamed, watchful, frozen, or pulled back into memories and sensations that do not feel fully in the past.

For some people, talking alone is not enough. They have spoken about what happened, reflected on it, analysed it, understood it, and still something remains lodged at a deeper level. This is often when EMDR becomes worth considering.

What Is EMDR?

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, is a structured trauma therapy designed to help the brain and nervous system process distressing memories that have not been fully integrated. Rather than asking you simply to retell the story again and again, EMDR works with memory, emotion, body sensation, belief and bilateral stimulation to help traumatic material become less overwhelming.

The aim is not to erase what happened, or to pretend that it did not matter. The aim is for the memory to become more fully located in the past, so that it no longer has the same force in the present.

When an EMDR Block May Be Helpful

An EMDR block may be particularly helpful if there is a clearly defined trauma, memory, incident, period of time or emotional wound that you know you want to work on. This may include a recent traumatic event, a specific frightening or humiliating experience, a bereavement-related trauma, an accident, assault, medical trauma, relationship trauma, or a memory that still carries a charge many years later.

Some people seek EMDR because they feel stuck. They may be functioning, working, parenting, caring for others or holding life together, but privately they know that something unresolved is still shaping how they sleep, love, trust, work, protect themselves, or feel inside their own body.

Others come because they are tired of organising their life around avoidance. They avoid certain places, conversations, feelings, relationships, sensations, images, anniversaries or memories. EMDR can sometimes help people approach what has felt unapproachable, but in a structured and supported way.

Why I Offer EMDR in Blocks

I do not usually offer EMDR as a one-off session. Trauma work needs containment, preparation and clinical responsibility. The first session is not simply about beginning reprocessing immediately; it is also about understanding your history, assessing suitability, identifying targets, building stabilisation and deciding whether EMDR is the right approach for you at this time.

For clients who already know they would like to begin EMDR, I offer two structured options:

• 3 × 90-minute EMDR Intensive Block — suitable for more focused work, often where there is a clearly defined single-incident trauma or a specific target.
• 6 × 90-minute EMDR / Trauma Therapy Block — suitable where the trauma work requires more time for preparation, processing and integration, or where the difficulty is more complex or longstanding.

In both cases, the first 90-minute appointment functions as the initial consultation and the first session within the block. This allows us to begin properly, without separating assessment from treatment planning.

What Happens in the First Session?

The first session is used to understand what has brought you to EMDR and what you hope might change. We would look at your current symptoms, trauma history, emotional resources, risks, support, previous therapy, and the specific memories or experiences that may need attention.

Where EMDR is suitable, we would begin preparing the work carefully. This may include stabilisation, resourcing, psychoeducation, identifying appropriate targets, and developing a shared understanding of how the trauma is still affecting you now.

Where EMDR does not appear to be the safest or most appropriate starting point, we would discuss this openly and consider whether a different form of psychotherapy, preparation or stabilisation would be more helpful.

EMDR for Trauma, PTSD and C-PTSD

EMDR can be helpful for many trauma presentations, including PTSD symptoms such as intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, hypervigilance, shame, panic and a continuing sense of threat. It can also form part of work with more complex trauma, although C-PTSD often requires a slower and more relationally sensitive approach.

For some people, the work is relatively focused: a particular accident, assault, medical experience, public humiliation, loss or frightening event. For others, the trauma is woven through earlier relationships, family life, childhood, coercion, neglect, shame or repeated experiences of not feeling safe. In those cases, EMDR may still be useful, but it usually needs to be held within a broader therapeutic frame.

Is Now the Right Time?

You do not have to be perfectly ready to begin trauma work. Many people feel ambivalent, frightened or uncertain before starting EMDR. What matters is that the work is approached carefully, with enough preparation and enough respect for your nervous system.

You may be ready to book an EMDR block if you know that something unresolved is continuing to affect your life, if you have been thinking about EMDR for some time, or if you feel that talking alone has taken you some way but not far enough.

Beginning does not mean forcing yourself into the deepest material immediately. It means creating a structured space in which the work can begin responsibly.

Beginning EMDR with Dr Comfort Shields

I am a HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist, Chartered Psychologist, BACP accredited psychotherapist and EMDR therapist based in the Harley Street Medical District. My work integrates EMDR with psychodynamic psychotherapy, trauma theory, existential psychology and a careful understanding of the person behind the symptoms.

If you are ready to begin, you can book an EMDR block directly, or send a brief message outlining what you are hoping to work on and whether you prefer in-person or online sessions.