Private ADHD, Mental Health Assessments & EMDR Therapy — online across the UK
Private ADHD, Mental Health Assessments & EMDR Therapy — online across the UK
Some experiences don’t fade the way memories should. They stay vivid, intrusive, and easily triggered — affecting sleep, relationships, confidence and everyday life long after the event itself. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a recognised, evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess distressing memories so they lose their grip. At Flourish, EMDR is delivered by an experienced mental health nurse [PENDING item 30: “with accredited EMDR training” — insert exact accreditation], starting with a careful assessment and moving at a pace you control.
When something overwhelming happens, the brain doesn’t always file the memory away properly. Instead of becoming a normal memory — something that happened, in the past — it stays “unprocessed”: raw, vivid, and easily reactivated by sights, sounds, dates or feelings that echo the original event.
EMDR uses side-to-side eye movements (or taps or tones) while you briefly hold the memory in mind, which appears to help the brain do the processing it couldn’t do at the time. Over sessions, the memory typically becomes less vivid and less distressing — still remembered, but no longer in charge.
Two things people are often relieved to hear: you don’t have to describe what happened in detail — EMDR works without retelling your story blow by blow — and you stay in control throughout. Your clinician checks in constantly, and you can pause at any point.
EMDR is recommended in national clinical guidance as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and many people also find it helpful for other difficult experiences and memories.
If some of this sounds familiar, an EMDR assessment is a safe, no-commitment way to find out whether this therapy could help you. And if EMDR isn't the right fit, we'll say so honestly and help you find what is.
Step 1 — EMDR Assessment Every EMDR journey at Flourish starts with an assessment: an unhurried conversation about your history, what you’re experiencing now, and what you want to change. This isn’t a formality — it’s how we plan therapy safely around you, make sure EMDR is genuinely the right approach, and build the foundation of trust that good therapy depends on.
Step 2 — Preparation & Grounding Before any memory work begins, your clinician teaches you calming and grounding techniques, so you always have somewhere steady to return to. You’ll only move on when you feel ready.
Step 3 — Reprocessing Sessions (90 minutes) In your therapy sessions, you’ll briefly focus on a target memory while following side-to-side movements or taps. Sessions are 90 minutes — long enough to work properly and end settled, never mid-process. You’re in control throughout, and you’ll always work with the same clinician, so you never have to start your story again.
Step 4 — Review & Moving Forward Progress is reviewed together as you go. Some people feel significant change in a few sessions; deeper or more complex experiences take longer — your clinician will always be honest with you about what to expect. When you’re ready to finish, you finish; and our wider support services are there if you want them.
You’ll meet your clinician by video from somewhere private and comfortable. Sessions begin settled — checking in, grounding — before any memory work, and always end settled too, with time to come back to the present before you log off. Many people are surprised how well EMDR works online; you’ll be guided through the eye movements on screen, and everything else works exactly as it would in a room together.
You might feel tired after a session — that’s normal and usually passes quickly. We’ll talk about simple aftercare, like giving yourself a quiet hour afterwards where you can.
No. EMDR works without a detailed retelling — your clinician needs to understand enough to plan safely, but you will never be pushed to describe more than you're comfortable with.
It genuinely varies. A single-incident trauma may respond in a handful of sessions; longer or more complex histories take more. Your assessment will give you an honest expectation for your situation — not a sales pitch.
Yes — EMDR is recommended in national clinical guidance (NICE) as a treatment for PTSD, and has been researched for over thirty years. For difficulties beyond PTSD, we'll be honest with you about what the evidence shows and whether EMDR or another form of support is the better fit.
Safety is exactly why we assess first and teach grounding skills before any memory work. Sessions are structured to end settled, you can pause at any time, and you'll always be working with an experienced mental health nurse. If EMDR isn't suitable for you right now, we'll tell you.
EMDR Therapy Session (90 minutes): £95
