EMDR Therapy: Online and in person in Kendal and Lancaster (children and adults)

I offer weekly EMDR therapy and EMDR intensives for children and adults in Kendal (Cumbria) and Lancaster (Lancashire), as well as online.

EMDR is a well-researched, evidence-based way of working with specific experiences and symptoms that can often be supported over a shorter time-scale than longer-term weekly therapy. The research base, and my clinical experience, suggest that when EMDR is a good fit for someone and their needs, it can help to reduce distress and support meaningful change in day-to-day life.

What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing.

After something overwhelming, the mind and body can hold the memory in a way that sometimes doesn’t settle on its own. You might notice this as intrusive images, nightmares, panic, a strong startle response, a sense of threat when you logically know you are safe, or your body keeps bracing as if something is about to happen.

EMDR cannot change what happened. It does not erase memory. It can, however, help your system know that a memory is in the past, rather than a memory that keeps being remembered by body and mind with similar intensity in the present.

I offer EMDR with:

• Single-event trauma or a difficult incident that is contained to one period of time

• Themes linked to childhood experiences, including repeated experiences over time

• Triggers, body responses, intrusive images, nightmares, or a strong startle response that does not feel proportionate to what is happening now

(We would clarify together what you are noticing, what you would like to change, and what would help you to know the work is supporting you.)

Research and effectiveness
EMDR is a well-researched, evidence-based trauma therapy, and is recommended in UK guidance for PTSD (NICE, 2018; last reviewed 2025). Systematic reviews find that EMDR is associated with meaningful reductions in PTSD symptoms, and generally performs better than wait-list/usual care and some other psychological approaches (Bisson et al., 2013). EMDR is also included by the World Health Organization as a recommended psychological intervention for adults with PTSD (WHO, 2023).

What is BLS?

BLS stands for bilateral stimulation.

In EMDR, BLS is a left-right rhythm. This might be:

• eye movements (tracking left to right)

• alternating taps (often you tapping your knees or collarbones; or using hand-held buzzers)

• alternating sounds/tones

We use BLS in short sets, and we pause regularly to notice what is happening, what is shifting, and what you need.

Why BLS can help

There are a few ways of understanding why BLS can be supportive.

For some people, it helps because it creates a kind of “two-track” attention: part of you is holding a small, manageable amount of the memory in mind, and part of you is also connected to the room, the present day, and the steadiness of having support alongside you.

For many people, it also seems to reduce how vivid and emotionally intense a memory feels, as the brain processes it differently when it is paired with a left-right stimulus.

Most importantly, we only do it in a way that supports your capacity. We can slow it down, speed it up, switch the type of BLS, take a pause, or stop entirely. We build the work around what helps you feel steady enough.

EMDR weekly sessions

I offer short-term blocks of EMDR, usually over a series of 8-10 sessions. The first sessions include developing a therapeutic relationship and resources to feel grounded and calm, the middle sessions are for EMDR processing and the last sessions are for consolidation. I find that it tends to be useful to digest and integrate between sessions of EMDR, yet without too much of a gap between, so I recommend these sessions are done weekly. These can be for children, adolescents, or adults.

These short-term EMDR sessions tend to be more effective when someone has experienced a single-incident trauma or a difficult event that is contained to one period of time. For people who have experienced many linking traumas or over a long period, or a working with a deep-seated difficult self belief, it is usually more effective being part of a longer-term therapeutic journey. We can discuss this further at the consultation stage.

EMDR Intensives

I offer EMDR intensives online, and in person in Staveley and Lancaster, for children and adults.

An EMDR intensive is a way of doing EMDR with longer sessions, and/or sessions more frequently, over a short period of time. This can sometimes be a more supportive and practical way of working than weekly therapy, depending on your needs, availability, support, and capacity.

If you are unsure whether EMDR or an EMDR intensive is a good fit for you and your needs, we can explore what therapeutic methods and techniques and time-scales might best work for you in an initial consultation.

Why an intensive format can be useful

For some people, intensives can be useful because:

• They reduce the stop-start feeling of weekly sessions, where you may spend time settling, opening something up, and then needing to pause again for a week

• They allow more time for preparation, processing, and consolidation within one planned block

• They can be more practical to schedule (for example, around work, school, travel, or childcare)

An intensive is not about pushing through. The intention is to create enough time to work steadily, with breaks, and to finish each session (and each day) with good closure.

Who can EMDR intensives suit best?

EMDR intensives are often most suitable when:

• You have a specific focus (for example, a particular incident, trigger, or theme you would like to work with)

• You have enough time and space for rest between sessions

• You have, or can put in place, a simple aftercare plan for the days of the intensive (especially if you are doing longer sessions)

If the intensive format is not the best fit, we can discuss alternative approaches and time-scales in the consultation.

Research on intensive delivery is still emerging, and not every study is a direct head-to-head comparison. However, one study comparing twice-daily EMDR over 10 days with weekly EMDR (with both formats delivering the same overall number of EMDR sessions) found that both formats produced significant improvement, with similar outcomes maintained at one-year follow-up (Hurley, 2018). This suggests that what best fits your time, whether you do EMDR weekly or intensively, the outcome will likely offer similar results long-term.

What happens in an EMDR intensive?

We begin with an initial online consultation so we can explore what you want help with and what time scale is likely to be most supportive.

If we choose an intensive, we usually include:

1) Preparation
We discuss and experiment with what helps you feel steady: grounding, resourcing, pacing, how you know you are approaching “too much”, and how we create clear boundaries around the work.

2) Processing
We work in short sets, with breaks, checking in regularly. You are not expected to push through. We aim for steady, supported processing.

3) Closing and integration
We make sure each session/day ends with containment and a plan for aftercare, so that you can feel contained. We also plan at least one follow-up session to integrate and to decide next steps.

For children and young people, intensives are adapted to fit developmental needs: shorter blocks, more movement and sensory breaks, and clear planning with caregivers where appropriate.

Example Timetables

We choose the timetable based on your needs, both of our availability, and your capacity for rest afterwards.

Common options include:

Weekly 90-minute or 2-hour sessions

This follows a more typical therapy structure with weekly sessions, but the longer sessions offer potential for a shorter overall time period.

Half-day intensive (about 3 hours)

A contained block of time with plenty of recovery space afterwards.

Full-day intensive (a full day with breaks)

A day structured with generous breaks for movement, food, rest, and settling, so the work is paced rather than pressured.

Two-day intensive

Often chosen when you want depth, with the steadiness of returning the next day to consolidate.

Three to five days

Sometimes useful for complex or layered themes, where we want to move gently and still have enough time to integrate.

In the initial consultation we can talk through what structure might best support you, and what you would like life to look like around the intensive (workload, sleep, support, travel, school, childcare), because those things matter.

Online EMDR intensives

Online EMDR can work very well. We plan for privacy, practicalities, breaks, and aftercare. We also think together about what helps you settle after a session.

In-person intensives

In person intensives are available in Staveley and Lancaster.

Some people prefer being in a therapy room with clear edges around the work. Some people simply find it easier to feel held by the structure of arriving, being met, doing the work, and then leaving.

EMDR Intensive Retreat/ Break

If you are doing an intensive over a week, those who do not live in the Lake District might choose to have a therapeutic holiday here. Doing EMDR sessions along with enjoying a break. If so, follow-up sessions can be arranged online. While I do not offer accommodation, I am happy to share recommendations.

If you are considering this option, please also consider how you might get support during this period, whether a supportive friend or dog or other resource might take the break with you, or have telephone contact, to offer relational support when you are not in sessions.

Next steps

If you would like to explore weekly EMDR or EMDR intensives, the first step is an initial consultation, so we can explore what might best support you and what time scale and structure is most likely to be helpful.