What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It's a structured, evidence-based therapy developed to help people process trauma and distressing experiences that have become stuck — still held in the nervous system as though they're happening now, long after the event has passed.

When something happens that exceeds our capacity to cope, the brain's natural processing system can become overwhelmed. Instead of integrating the experience the way ordinary memories do, it gets stored in a raw, activated state — carrying the original emotions, sensations, and beliefs. That's why certain memories can still feel vivid and present years later, and why trauma responses can seem disproportionate to the current moment.

EMDR works by gently activating that stuck material while engaging bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones — which helps the brain resume its natural processing. The memory doesn't disappear. But it shifts. It loses its charge. It moves from something happening now to something that happened then.

Trauma isn't just what happened to you. It's what your nervous system did with it — and what it's been carrying ever since.

Who It's For

EMDR might be right for you if…

You're experiencing ongoing effects of trauma — intrusive memories, hypervigilance, emotional reactivity that feels hard to control.
You have good insight into why you respond the way you do — but something still isn't shifting despite the understanding.
You're living with anxiety, panic, or persistent shame rooted in past experience rather than current circumstances.
You're carrying distressing memories that feel unresolved — including experiences that may not look "traumatic" on the surface but have left a lasting imprint.
You've struggled with negative core beliefs about yourself — not enough, not safe, not worthy — that you can't seem to think your way out of.
You want to work with the body and nervous system directly, not just talk about what happened

You do not need to recount your experiences in detail. EMDR is designed to work without prolonged retelling or reliving of traumatic events — which many people find a significant relief.

What It Helps With

Conditions EMDR can support

EMDR was developed for trauma and has its strongest evidence base there — but its reach is broader than people often realise. I use it with clients working through:

PTSD and complex PTSD
Childhood and developmental trauma
Anxiety and panic responses rooted in past experience
Grief and unresolved loss
Shame, low self-worth, and deeply held negative beliefs about yourself
Relational trauma and the aftermath of difficult relationships
Single-incident traumas — accidents, assaults, medical events
Patterns that keep repeating regardless of how much insight you have

The Evidence

Why EMDR works

EMDR is one of the most well-researched trauma therapies available. It is recognised internationally as an effective treatment for PTSD and trauma by the World Health Organisation, the American Psychiatric Association, and Australia's own clinical guidelines. More than 100,000 clinicians worldwide use it.

What the research shows

Multiple controlled studies have found that 84–90% of single-incident trauma survivors no longer met criteria for PTSD after just three 90-minute EMDR sessions.
A study funded by Kaiser Permanente found that 100% of single-trauma participants and 77% of multiple-trauma participants were free of PTSD diagnosis after six 50-minute sessions.
In a separate study with combat veterans, 77% no longer met PTSD criteria after 12 sessions.

In practice, its effectiveness depends not only on the method but on how it's offered — with careful pacing, a trusted therapeutic relationship, and genuine respect for your readiness. That's what I prioritise at Zanti.

How It Works

The eight phases of EMDR

EMDR follows a structured eight-phase process. Nothing is rushed — before any trauma processing begins, we spend time ensuring you have the resourcing and stability to work with difficult material safely.

History and Assessment - We map your history, identify what needs attention, and assess your readiness for processing.
Preparation - We build resourcing — tools and techniques to help you stay regulated during and between sessions. Nothing moves forward until this foundation is in place.
Assessment of Target Memory - We identify the specific memory or experience to work with — including the images, beliefs, emotions, and body sensations connected to it.
Desensitisation - The active processing phase — bilateral stimulation is used while you hold the target material in mind, reducing its emotional charge and allowing the memory to process.
Installation - We strengthen a positive belief to replace the negative one held alongside the memory.
Body Scan - We check for any remaining tension or distress held in the body in relation to the memory.
Closure - Each session ends with stabilisation — you leave grounded, not flooded, regardless of where we are in the processing.
Re-evaluation - At the start of the next session, we check in on what's shifted and what still needs attention before continuing.

The Therapist

How I work

I'm Karie — counsellor, psychotherapist, and Level II EMDR practitioner at Zanti. I hold a Master of Counselling & Psychotherapy and am registered with PACFA. EMDR sits within a broader integrative approach that I tailor to each person — it's never a stand-alone technique, always part of a grounded therapeutic relationship.

I don't rush this work. Readiness matters, and I'd rather spend the time building a solid foundation than move into processing before you're genuinely steady. You remain in control at every stage — you can pause or stop at any time, and the pace is always yours to set.

Many clients describe a sense of things quietly shifting — the memory becoming more distant, less charged, less present. Their wounds have not just closed. They have transformed.

Sessions are available in person in Adelaide CBD and online across Australia.

Grounded support for people who feel deeply

You only need enough steadiness
to take the next step

You don't need to be ready to face everything. A free 15-minute consultation is a good place to start — just a conversation to see whether EMDR might be the right fit for you.

Book a Consultation

Adelaide CBD · 71 Angus Street SA 5000 · Online across Australia · 0408 405 149

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EMDR Trauma Therapy

Adelaide & Online