Therapies
Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing
Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR) can help to reduce distress resulting from a traumatic event.
How it works
The aim of EMDR is to stop traumatic memories causing so much distress by helping the mind to reprocess them properly.
The therapy involves us guiding your eyes – usually by following our finger back and forth – to make rhythmic eye movements, while you bring to mind the traumatic memory.
Other methods may include us tapping our finger or playing a tone. These methods may sound strange, but they’re intended to create bilateral stimulation in the mind to allow the safe reprocessing of the memory.
Your mind processes memories in a similar way, automatically as you sleep.
What it’s like
Whilst some other therapies we offer can also reprocess traumatic memories, EMDR does not need you to talk in detail about the traumatic memory.
Instead, we ask you to give some short feedback in between ‘sets’ of eye movements before beginning another set, and so on until the distress reduces.
You may like to read some feedback and encouragements by those who received therapy with us.
Other therapies
Read more about the different types of therapy we offer:
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia
Difficulties we treat
If you’re going through a hard time, we want you to know that you’re not alone and good support is now available. We provide talking therapies for all kinds of common mental health difficulties.
Self-help resources
Be sure to check out our useful section of self-help resources for wellbeing.
Employment advice
Alongside therapy our Employment Team can help you find employment or training, and support you with workplace adjustments or disputes.
Make the first step
We know the courage it takes to ask for help, and we hope you’ll consider therapy with us. Read more about what to expect if you refer.
Talking Change is for everyone aged sixteen or over, who live in Portsmouth and are registered with a GP in the city.
You can self-refer by calling us on 0300 123 3934 or by completing this secure form online.
Urgent help
Talking Change is not an emergency mental health service for people in crisis. Support is available from specialist services if urgent help is needed.