Kristina Sandström

EMDR can be helpful for a wide range of emotional difficulties that are rooted in overwhelming or unresolved experiences. While it is perhaps best known for treating trauma, it can also support people who are experiencing:

• Trauma following accidents, assaults, or other distressing events
• Childhood or developmental trauma
• Anxiety and panic
• Persistent feelings of shame or guilt
• Low self-esteem
• Grief and loss
• Relationship difficulties
• Phobias
• Medical trauma
• Performance anxiety
• Distressing life experiences that continue to affect everyday life

Not everyone who benefits from EMDR has experienced a single major traumatic event. Sometimes it is the accumulation of difficult experiences over time, particularly within important relationships, that leaves the deepest imprint.

Trauma is not stored only as memories or thoughts. It is also held within the body and nervous system.

You may notice this as a racing heart, muscle tension, a sense of numbness, digestive difficulties, difficulty relaxing, feeling constantly on edge, or a tendency to shut down in situations that feel overwhelming. These are not signs of weakness – they are the nervous system’s natural attempts to protect you.

While we cannot erase what has happened, we can help the nervous system recognise that the danger has passed. As unresolved experiences become processed and integrated, many people notice that both emotional and physical symptoms begin to soften, allowing them to feel calmer, more present, and more connected to themselves.

EMDR is much more than simply moving your eyes.

In our early sessions, my aim is not simply to gather information about your past. I am interested in understanding you – how your experiences have shaped the way you relate to yourself, to others, and to the world around you.

As we talk, I listen not only to your story but also to the patterns that have developed over time. Together, we begin to understand your unique way of responding to life’s challenges: the protective strategies you have developed, the ways you cope with stress, your emotional responses, your relationships, and the strengths that have helped you through difficult times.

These patterns are not signs that something is wrong with you. More often, they are intelligent adaptations that once helped you survive the circumstances you found yourself in. Understanding them helps us identify not only what has contributed to your current difficulties, but also the most helpful path towards healing.

This process allows me to build a picture of how your nervous system has adapted to your life experiences and to tailor therapy to your individual needs, rather than applying the same approach to everyone.

Together, we create a foundation of safety before working with difficult memories. When the time feels right, we gently use bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, alternating taps, or sounds, to support the brain’s natural ability to process experiences that have remained unresolved.

Trauma is held not only in our memories but also in the body and nervous system. As distressing experiences become processed and integrated, many people notice changes not only in how they think and feel, but also in how their body responds. They may feel calmer, less reactive, more grounded, and better able to engage with life in the present.

Throughout the process, you remain fully awake, aware, and in control. We move at a pace that feels manageable, always respecting your capacity and readiness.

Reading this, one thing really stood out to me about your way of working. Throughout all the conversations we’ve had about your website, there is a consistent philosophy: you don’t begin with a therapy model – you begin with the person. The therapies are tools that serve your understanding of the individual, not the other way around.

Over the years, my understanding of trauma has continued to deepen.

While EMDR is a powerful therapy in its own right, I have found that lasting healing often involves more than processing individual memories. It also involves understanding how our earliest relationships, patterns of attachment, and the responses of the body and nervous system continue to shape our lives.

For this reason, I integrate EMDR with other approaches, including Attachment-Informed EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Lifespan Integration. Rather than following a single model, I tailor therapy to the unique needs of each person, recognising that healing is rarely one-size-fits-all.