EMDR has the strongest evidence base of any treatment for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. At ExpatPsychologie we offer EMDR in English and Polish — online and in person in Amersfoort, in the Utrecht province.
What Is EMDR
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is built on the observation that traumatic memories are stored differently in the brain than ordinary ones.
An ordinary memory loses emotional intensity over time and becomes integrated into the rest of your history. A traumatic memory gets stuck in an unprocessed state, retaining its full emotional charge, imagery, and bodily sensations. That is why recalling it can feel as though the event is happening now rather than in the past.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation — most often guided eye movements, sometimes tapping or alternating tones — while you hold the memory in mind. This appears to activate the brain's natural processing mechanism, allowing the memory to integrate. It does not disappear. It stops hurting.
What EMDR Treats
- PTSD — following accidents, assault, disasters, or violence
- Childhood trauma — emotional neglect, physical or psychological abuse, growing up with addiction
- Single-incident trauma — a specific event that continues to intrude on daily life
- Complex trauma — multiple or prolonged traumatic experiences
- Distressing memories triggered by cues and experienced as uncontrollable
- Anxiety and phobias clearly linked to a specific past event
- Medical trauma — difficult hospital experiences, diagnoses, procedures
- Birth trauma — traumatic delivery, pregnancy loss, complications
What an EMDR Session Looks Like
EMDR follows a structured eight-phase protocol. It is not open conversation.
Phases 1–2: preparation. We take a history, identify which memories to target, and build stabilisation resources — techniques that let you safely pause the process if it becomes too intense. This phase is essential and we do not rush it.
Phases 3–6: processing. You focus on a specific memory while following my hand movements with your eyes. After each set, you report whatever came up — an image, a thought, an emotion, a physical sensation. We repeat until the memory no longer produces distress.
Phases 7–8: closure and re-evaluation. We stabilise before the session ends, and check the durability of the result at the next appointment.
Important: you do not need to narrate what happened in detail. EMDR works even when you cannot or do not want to put the experience into words. This distinguishes it from purely talk-based approaches, and it is often the reason people choose it.
How Long Does EMDR Take
For a single traumatic incident, results often appear within 3–6 processing sessions. For complex or childhood trauma the work takes longer — typically 12–20 sessions, with a substantial preparation phase.
EMDR frequently produces results faster than traditional talk therapy for trauma-related presentations.
Does Online EMDR Work?
Yes. Remote EMDR became widespread from 2020 onward, and research supports comparable effectiveness to in-person delivery. Bilateral stimulation can be delivered through the screen or through self-administered tapping under my guidance.
Online EMDR requires only a stable connection and a private space where you will not be interrupted.
EMDR for Expats in the Netherlands
Trauma is encoded in the language in which it was experienced. If the difficult experiences happened in an English-speaking or Polish-speaking context, working on them in that language is more natural and more effective than translating them into Dutch.
Relocation itself can also be a source of difficult experience: an abrupt departure, separation from family, harsh working conditions in the early years, prolonged isolation. EMDR can address these too.
Credentials
EMDR is delivered by a psychologist holding EMDR Europe Basic certification, registered with NIP, NVPA, and RBCZ.
Practical Information
| Session | 50 minutes, €125 |
| 5-session package | €562 (10% discount) |
| Introductory call | 15 minutes, free |
| Languages | English, Polish |
| Format | Online (Google Meet) or in person in Amersfoort |
| Reimbursement | Partial reimbursement possible depending on your insurer (NVPA) |
Book a Free Consultation
A fifteen-minute call is enough to establish whether EMDR is the right approach for your situation. You do not need to describe what happened — it is enough to say that something is weighing on you.