EMDR Therapy In Wahroonga
When the past still feels like the present, it can affect your sleep, your relationships and how safe you feel in your own body. At Psychcare Clinic, our psychologists offer EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), an evidence-based therapy that helps your brain process difficult memories so they finally feel like they belong in the past.
How EMDR helps your brain file a memory away, where it belongs.
Trauma can be stored with its images, feelings and body sensations still switched on.
You briefly hold the memory in mind while following your therapist’s guide.
It starts to feel like something that happened, not something that’s happening.
EMDR therapy at Psychcare, Wahroonga. At your pace, always in your control.
How EMDR works, in under 30 seconds.
What EMDR Can Help With
Trauma isn’t only about “big” events. EMDR can help with any experience that still feels stuck or overwhelming.
PTSD & Flashbacks
Relief from intrusive memories, nightmares and feeling constantly on edge after a frightening event.
Childhood & Complex Trauma
Gentle, paced work on long-term experiences such as neglect, bullying, family violence or emotional abuse.
Anxiety & Panic
For fears, panic and phobias that trace back to past experiences and won’t respond to logic alone.
Grief & Loss
Support when a sudden loss, painful breakup or distressing life event still feels raw.
Negative Self-Beliefs
Shift stuck beliefs like “I’m not good enough” or “It was my fault” at their source.
Neurodivergent Experiences
Neuro-affirming EMDR for autistic and ADHD adults carrying years of rejection, shame or burnout.
How EMDR Works
When something overwhelming happens, the brain can store the memory with its original images, feelings and body sensations still switched on. EMDR helps your brain finish processing it. The memory stays, but its emotional charge fades.
- Bilateral Stimulation: You briefly hold a memory in mind while following gentle left-right eye movements, taps or tones.
- Less Talking: You don’t need to describe every detail of what happened.
- Always In Control: We go at your pace, and you can pause or stop at any time.
The 8 phases of EMDR
- History and planning: what brings you in, and what to work on.
- Preparation: grounding and calming skills to steady your body.
- Assessment: choosing a target memory and rating its distress from 0 to 10.
- Desensitisation: short sets of bilateral stimulation.
- Installation: strengthening a helpful belief, like “I’m safe now”.
- Body scan: clearing any tension that remains.
- Closure: every session ends with you feeling settled.
- Re-evaluation: checking progress and planning next steps.
Evidence-Based & Recognised
Internationally recommended
The World Health Organization has recommended EMDR for PTSD in children, adolescents and adults since 2013.
Australian PTSD guidelines
Phoenix Australia lists EMDR among the recommended trauma-focused therapies for adults with PTSD.
Rebates available
With a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, EMDR with a psychologist can attract a Medicare rebate. See our fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EMDR hypnosis?
No. You are awake, aware and in control the whole time, and you can pause or stop at any point.
Will I have to talk about my trauma in detail?
No. You briefly bring the memory to mind, but you don’t need to describe every detail. Many people find EMDR less overwhelming than talking through trauma at length.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on your history and goals. A single event may need only a handful of processing sessions, while complex trauma usually takes longer, with more time spent building safety first. We’ll agree on a realistic plan at the start.
Can EMDR be adapted for autism, ADHD or sensory needs?
Yes. You might prefer taps or tones instead of eye movements, shorter sets, more breaks or written check-ins. We shape each session around how your brain works.
Is EMDR right for me?
EMDR is one of several evidence-based trauma therapies, alongside approaches such as trauma-focused CBT. If you’re unsure, book a free 15-minute discovery call and we’ll help you decide.
Ready To Start EMDR Therapy?
You don’t have to keep carrying the past into every day. Reach out and we’ll help you take the first step, at your pace.
Suite 4 & 5, 5 Redleaf Avenue, Wahroonga NSW 2076. Psychcare is not an emergency service. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 000 or contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.