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Writer's pictureSarah Davies

EMDR Therapy for Chronic Pain

Treating chronic pain with EMDR Therapy.


Chronic pain occurs for a number of reasons and is an indication that something is wrong physically. It's usually the cue to consult a medical doctor and seek treatment for the obvious and physical issue - which is a help. Yet whilst this can be directly treated, pain can continue and become a starting point for problematic and triggering relationships between bodily pain and emotional distress, creating more psychological anguish and subsequently even more pain. We actually experience greater pain when we are more anxious or stressed. EMDR (eye movement desensitisation & reprocessing) can firstly help ease the symptoms of pain by inducing relaxation and reducing physiological symptoms of stress.


Pain often persists or is intensified because of fatigue, biochemical and neurological influences. This is due to pain becoming held in the nervous system. Our minds can tell us all kinds of stories and lies, but it's said that our bodies never lie. Emotional pain and trauma can also be held in our bodies and only extends and increases physical pain and discomfort.

EMDR therapy can be successfully used for any kind of bodily aches and pain by stimulating and healing the nervous system. Whilst EMDR may not completely stop the pain, it can process any blockages held in the body with psychological factors and by releasing these, a deeper sense of relaxation is induced. The more relaxed you can become both physically and emotionally, the less pain will be experienced.

Physical trauma in particular is highly linked to emotional experiences and EMDR is especially useful for releasing and healing pain and chronic pain resulting from accidents or events such as whiplash injuries or breaks from involvement in road traffic accidents, accidents at work, bodily pain from violence or abuse or stress-related tensions including headaches, tummy pains, and so on. Conditions that may also benefit from EMDR therapy include fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, ME, MS, Irritable bowel syndrome IBS and polycycstic ovarian syndrome PCOS.

Relief from chronic pain is usually reported after just a small number of sessions of EMDR therapy.

For more information or to make an appointment for an initial consultation to find out more about how EMDR can help with your pain, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Alternatively you can find out more from the UK & Ireland and European EMDR Association.

EMDR Therapy for Chronic Pain
EMDR Therapy for Chronic Pain


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