EMDR therapy in Wrocław and online
EMDR is a form of psychotherapy developed to work with the consequences of difficult experiences. To begin, you do not have to describe what happened in full detail.
What EMDR is
The name stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
The premise is this: a memory that has not been fully processed remains stored together with the original emotions, bodily sensations and beliefs about oneself. That is why it returns in raw form, as though it were happening now. EMDR starts a process after which the memory remains, but stops acting like a present threat.
EMDR is recommended for the treatment of PTSD by the World Health Organization among others, and is one of the methods with the strongest evidence base in this area.
What a session looks like
A processing session is different from an ordinary conversation. We agree on a specific target — a memory, an image or a reaction. Then, with bilateral stimulation running alongside (eye movements, sound, or alternating light touch), you observe what arises on its own: thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, other memories.
My task is not to interpret or to lead you towards the right conclusion. It is to hold the process within safe limits and to stop it when stopping is needed.
I do not break off a processing session halfway without closing it. You leave in a state in which you can return to your day.
Who it is for
- PTSD after a single event — an accident, an assault, a loss, a difficult birth, a medical event
- complex and developmental trauma, with correspondingly longer preparation
- the aftermath of domestic violence
- trauma passed down within a family
- anxiety and panic attacks with a clear starting point
- obsessive-compulsive disorder
- psychosomatic symptoms
- persistent beliefs about oneself rooted in specific experiences
- grief that is not moving
Working soon after an event
EMDR has separate protocols for work shortly after a difficult event — an accident, an assault, a sudden loss, a crisis. Their aim is not to work through an entire life history, but to reduce the risk that a recent experience becomes established as trauma.
If something happened recently and you can see that you are not returning to yourself, there is no need to wait for it to pass on its own. Earlier intervention is often shorter and more effective than working on the same event years later.
I trained in the ASSYST protocol for crisis and humanitarian response with Dr Ignacio Jarero, who developed the method.
Physical symptoms with no medical explanation
Pain, muscular tension, digestive problems, dizziness, breathlessness, chronic fatigue — symptoms that are real and physically felt, but for which examinations find no cause. This is often heard as dismissal: „so it is all in my head”.
It is not in your head. It is in your body — only its source is not illness but the way the nervous system has learned to respond.
This area also covers situations where a chronic illness, including an autoimmune one, coexists with difficult experiences and stress. I do not replace medical treatment; I work with what psychotherapy can reach.
I completed 32 hours of training devoted solely to this area, with Dr Elisa Faretta and Natalia Seijo.
EMDR and dissociation
This is where EMDR is sometimes used carelessly. Where dissociation is marked, processing started too early can make things worse rather than better.
I therefore always assess this before beginning and, where necessary, spend as long on preparation as it takes. I trained in this with Dolores Mosquera, whose work is precisely on EMDR in complex trauma and dissociative disorders, and completed training in the assessment of dissociative disorders.
Preparation
EMDR does not begin with processing. It begins with understanding your situation, agreeing the order of work and building a stable footing — solid enough for processing to be safe.
For some people that is a few sessions. For others considerably longer. This stage is not a delay before therapy; it is part of it.
EMDR online
Yes, EMDR can be conducted online, with the same safety conditions. I use a platform designed specifically for remote EMDR work, which allows bilateral stimulation to be delivered at a distance.
Not every situation is suited to remote work. Where dissociation is marked or the state is unstable, I suggest starting in person.
Safety
You control the pace. You can stop the process at any moment and you do not have to justify it. We agree a stop signal before we begin.
Between processing sessions there may be heightened reactivity, more vivid dreams or tiredness. This usually means the process is continuing. We always discuss in advance what to expect and what to do.
My EMDR qualifications
- certified EMDR psychotherapist, Polish EMDR Therapy Association
- recommended therapist of the Polish EMDR Therapy Association
- EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner
- School of EMDR Psychotherapy — full psychotherapy training
- more than 200 hours of specialist training with Dolores Mosquera, Anabel González, Elisa Faretta, Hélène Dellucci, Luca Ostacoli and Natalia Seijo
Common questions
How many sessions are needed?
For a single event in a stable person it may be a few processing sessions. In complex trauma we are talking about a process spread over time, in which processing is one element. Any figure given in advance, without knowing the situation, would be dishonest.
Is EMDR hypnosis?
No. You are aware of what is happening throughout and retain full control.
Will I lose my memories?
No. EMDR does not remove memories. It changes how they operate — they stop producing the response that belongs to a present threat.