EMDR Therapy in Brisbane
Neurodivergent-affirming trauma therapy for ADHD, AuDHD, and Autistic adults.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a trauma-focused therapy that helps you process overwhelming memories, sensations, and beliefs without needing to talk through every detail.
Book a SessionTrauma, complex trauma, chronic anxiety.
EMDR is based on the idea that trauma — big or small — can get “stuck” in the nervous system, leading to ongoing distress. Through guided bilateral stimulation (like eye movements, gentle tapping, or vibrating “tappers”), EMDR supports the brain in reprocessing these experiences so they lose their emotional charge. Evidence suggests this may reduce the emotional intensity associated with certain memories or triggers.
The strongest evidence base for EMDR is in post-traumatic stress, with clinical application across:
- Post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and complex PTSD
- Childhood and developmental trauma
- Single-incident trauma — accidents, assaults, medical events
- Birth trauma
- Grief and loss
- Performance anxiety and stuck “freeze” patterns
- The cumulative impact of being a neurodivergent person in a neurotypical world — late diagnosis, masking exhaustion, repeated invalidation
Inside an EMDR session.
- We begin by building safety and internal resources.
- You choose the memories, symptoms, or triggers you want to work on.
- Sessions can include gentle body awareness, imagery, and bilateral stimulation (tapping, use of “buzzers”, or eye movements).
- You remain fully in control throughout the process; this is not like hypnosis.
When the protocol meets the brain.
Standard EMDR protocols weren’t designed with ADHD, AuDHD, or Autistic clients in mind. For many neurodivergent adults that mismatch shows up as feeling lost in open-ended prompts, processing that goes tangential and never quite settles, or a sense that therapy is asking them to be quieter than their brain actually is.
Around 70% of Autistic adults live with a co-occurring mental health condition, and a high proportion are also ADHD. Trauma — interpersonal, developmental, or the kind that comes from repeatedly not fitting the world you were given — is common in this group. Therapy that meets the brain it’s working with, rather than asking the brain to fit in (again).
Slower, more structured, sensory-aware.
Drawing on contemporary neurodivergent-affirming EMDR practice in Australia, the work in my room often involves more structured prompts during processing, longer preparation and resourcing, and sensory-aware choices about how bilateral stimulation is delivered. The pace is yours to set. Where helpful, we can also use longer 80-minute sessions during the active phases of reprocessing to give enough runway to open and close a target safely.
Neurodivergent-informed EMDR.
EMDR may be a fit if you…
- Find it hard to talk about experiences, or prefer less verbal therapy
- Have tried insight-based or cognitive approaches but still feel impacted
- Notice that your distress lives in the body as much as in the mind
- Have limited memory of things that have happened to you (for example, pre-verbal memories)
- Feel emotionally overwhelmed, reactive, or shut down
Timing matters.
EMDR can be effective when used thoughtfully, at the right time, and as part of a broader therapeutic plan. EMDR is not always something we begin immediately. For many people — particularly those with complex trauma, dissociation, neurodivergence, or long-standing emotional patterns — preparation and resourcing are essential to ensure the work is safe, contained, and sustainable.
Before beginning trauma processing, we take time to assess your current emotional and nervous-system stability, your capacity to stay present with strong sensations, emotions, or memories, and what else might be happening in your life right now (stress, health, relationships, work).
When needed, therapy may initially focus on building the foundations that make EMDR effective. This can include developing emotional regulation and grounding skills (often drawing on DBT), strengthening internal resources such as safety, self-compassion, and boundaries, and understanding trauma responses, parts, or dissociative patterns.
In some cases, effective EMDR work also depends on external supports. Where appropriate, we may discuss linking with NDIS or other funded supports, community services, peer supports, or other practical supports that reduce day-to-day stress.
Have questions?
Is EMDR covered by Medicare?
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
Is EMDR right for me if I’m Autistic, ADHD, or AuDHD?
What if I dissociate, or have parts that don’t agree about doing this work?
I can’t visualise images in my head — will EMDR still work?
Stafford, Brisbane.
Organic Psychology
Soul Shine Collective
239 Stafford Rd
Stafford QLD 4053
Tel: (07) 3521 8590
A short drive from Stafford Heights, Kedron, Everton Park, Gordon Park, Grange, Alderley, Chermside, Nundah, Clayfield. Street parking available.
Evening sessions: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Telehealth: Mondays, across Queensland.
Cost & Medicare. Sessions can be claimed under a Mental Health Care Plan (GP referral) and through most private health funds. DVA and WorkCover also accepted. Full fee schedule →
