EMDR therapy Brisbane, trauma & anxiety treatment in Bowen Hills
Gentle, evidence-based therapy for the memories that still feel too close.
Some things don’t fade with time. A car accident from a decade ago that still leaves you breathless. A childhood you’ve never quite been able to talk about. A medical procedure you tell yourself was “nothing,” except your body disagrees. Years of trying to think your way out of something that keeps pulling you back in.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not stuck because you haven’t tried hard enough. Some memories live in a part of the brain that doesn’t respond to talk therapy or willpower. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is designed to reach those memories, gently, safely, and at your pace.
Our experienced EMDR-trained psychologists work with adults and teens at our Bowen Hills clinic and via telehealth across Australia, with a trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming approach that takes in the anxiety, ADHD, sleep and nervous-system pieces that often travel alongside trauma.
Enquire
Start with a quick enquiry
EMDR is offered by three of our psychologists: Christophe Cosson, Jeffrey Wong and Shaista Saheed. Rather than booking straight into a calendar, send us a short note below and we will match you with the right one and come back to you.
If you would rather talk it through first, call the clinic on (07) 3520 2209.
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing: an evidence-based psychological therapy developed in the late 1980s and now recognised by the World Health Organization and the Australian Psychological Society as a first-line treatment for trauma and PTSD.
You don’t need to talk about the memory in detail for EMDR to work, which is why it’s often the right fit for people who have tried talk therapy and felt it didn’t go far enough.
New to EMDR? If what you’re carrying built up over years rather than from one event, start with our page on complex trauma: what it looks like day to day, and how therapy works with it.
Who EMDR therapy helps
Car accidents, medical emergencies, assaults, natural disasters, or other one-off events that still feel emotionally present years later.
Longer-term or repeated experiences such as childhood difficulties, ongoing family or relational difficulties, or workplace harm.
Flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance, intrusive memories, and the body-level symptoms that often come with them.
Particularly when there's an identifiable "first time it happened" or a pattern of triggers that talk therapy hasn't quite resolved.
Fears of driving, flying, medical procedures, dental work, enclosed spaces, or other specific situations.
Breakups, bullying, public humiliations, and other experiences that still feel too close even though, on paper, they "shouldn't" be such a big deal.
Especially when there are stuck or complicated elements, like an unresolved relationship or a traumatic loss.
When they trace back to a specific past experience or set of formative messages.
If you’re not sure whether what you’re carrying counts as “trauma”, please don’t let that be the thing that stops you reaching out.
For the anxiety that never quite resolved
Many of the adults who come to us for EMDR have already tried other therapies. Years of CBT that helped a bit but never quite enough. Medication that took the edge off but didn’t address what was underneath. An ADHD diagnosis in adulthood that explained a lot but left pieces unaccounted for.
There’s a reason for that. Many adults living with ADHD, anxiety or unresolved low mood are also carrying low-level or unrecognised trauma. Talk therapy can help you understand it. EMDR can help your nervous system finally process it. That’s why EMDR sits naturally alongside our ADHD work and our broader psychology practice.
A structured, eight-phase therapy, at your pace
You stay in control throughout. Nothing happens that you haven’t agreed to, and processing doesn’t begin until you have the coping tools to do it safely.
History & planning
A full history, and together you decide what to target.
Preparation
Grounding and coping tools before any processing begins. This phase is what makes EMDR safe.
Assessment
You identify the specific memory, image, belief and emotion to target.
Desensitisation
The bilateral stimulation work: eye movements, taps or tones. You don't have to describe the memory aloud.
Installation
Strengthening a more adaptive, positive belief about yourself in relation to the memory.
Body scan
Checking in with your body, where trauma often lives, for anything residual.
Closure
Every session ends with grounding, so you leave settled rather than activated.
Reevaluation
Each new session checks in on the previous target before moving on.
Most people need somewhere between 6 and 20 sessions depending on complexity. Some single-incident traumas resolve in just a few; complex or developmental trauma usually takes longer. Your psychologist will give you a specific sense of timeframes after phase one.
Why choose Brisbane Mind & Body Clinic for EMDR
Not just your EMDR-trained psychologist. Front-of-house, intake and clinical care all understand how trauma shows up.
If you have ADHD, autism or another neurodivergent presentation alongside the trauma, you won't have to explain or defend that side of yourself.
Psychology and nutrition under one roof, for the nervous-system regulation, sleep and gut-brain pieces of recovery.
Easy to reach from Fortitude Valley, Newstead, New Farm and across the Inner North, with Saturday appointments and telehealth EMDR Australia-wide.
Who you would be working with
EMDR asks a lot of trust. It helps to know who is sitting opposite you before you walk in.
What working with us actually looks like
Fifty minutes, and mostly listening. We want to understand what has been happening and what you are hoping for before anyone talks about a plan. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.
Our psychologists draw on EMDR, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Schema Therapy. Which approach fits depends on you, and your psychologist will talk it through rather than apply a formula.
Every psychologist here is registered with AHPRA, and the team includes members of the Australian Psychological Society. You can read each practitioner's background and areas of practice before you book.
EMDR questions, answered honestly
Is EMDR really effective, or is it a bit fringe?+
EMDR is one of the most thoroughly researched trauma therapies that exists. It has been studied in dozens of randomised controlled trials, is recommended by the World Health Organization, and is endorsed by the Australian Psychological Society as a first-line treatment for PTSD. It's not fringe, it's just less famous than CBT.
Will I have to talk about the trauma in detail?+
No. You hold the memory in mind during the bilateral stimulation work, but you don't have to describe it aloud, narrate it, or re-tell it. For some clients this is the first therapy they've been able to do without the dread of putting difficult experiences into words.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?+
A single-incident trauma can sometimes resolve in 4 to 8 sessions. More complex or developmental trauma usually takes longer, often 15 to 25 or more. Your psychologist will give you a clearer picture after the history-taking phase, and we review progress regularly rather than keeping you in therapy longer than you need.
I've tried CBT and it helped a bit but didn't really shift things. Is EMDR different?+
Yes. CBT works at the level of thoughts and behaviours, which is genuinely useful but doesn't always reach the body-felt, nervous-system level where trauma lives. EMDR is designed for that deeper level. Many clients describe finally being able to think about a memory without their body reacting the way it used to.
Can EMDR be done via telehealth?+
Yes, both work. Telehealth EMDR uses on-screen visual stimulation, audio tones through headphones, or self-tapping in time with your psychologist's prompts. Many of our regional Queensland clients do EMDR entirely via telehealth.
Is EMDR covered by Medicare?+
Yes. With a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, EMDR sessions with our registered psychologists attract the standard Medicare rebate ($101.55 per session, or $149.05 with our clinical psychologist), and we process the claim for you. See fees & rebates.
I have ADHD and trauma. Can EMDR work for me?+
Yes, and we see this combination a lot. Many adults with ADHD also carry trauma, sometimes the accumulated weight of years of feeling "different." The preparation phase matters more with an ADHD nervous system, and our team is experienced in working with neurodivergent clients on trauma. A formal ADHD assessment can also be part of the picture.
Will I feel worse before I feel better?+
Sometimes, briefly. Most clients describe feeling tired after sessions, occasionally emotionally raw for a day or two, and sometimes vivid dreams as the brain continues processing. Every session ends with grounding work and you'll have between-session tools. The trajectory across treatment is solidly toward feeling better.
How is EMDR different from hypnosis?+
Quite different. You're fully awake and aware throughout, you're not in a trance, you're not given suggestions, and you can stop at any time. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain process stored memories. It's neurological, not suggestive.
Where in Brisbane is your EMDR clinic?+
Suite 18/7 O'Connell Terrace, Bowen Hills QLD 4006, easy to reach from Fortitude Valley, Newstead, New Farm, Albion, Hamilton, Clayfield, Wooloowin, Nundah and across Brisbane's Inner North. Telehealth EMDR is available Australia-wide.
Clinically reviewed by Christophe Cosson, Registered Psychologist (AHPRA PSY0001658979). Last reviewed: July 2026.
From our resource library
Ready to see if EMDR could help?
Whether you’ve been considering EMDR for a while or just heard about it, we’d be glad to talk it through. No expectation beyond seeing whether the fit feels right.