EMDR Therapy London
EMDR therapy in London is available at this practice with Philippe Jacquet — an EMDR Europe-accredited practitioner with over 20 years of EMDR training and clinical experience. That depth of experience is uncommon. Most practitioners encounter EMDR as one tool among many, acquired in a short training. For Philippe Jacquet, EMDR has been a central part of clinical practice for more than two decades, used with a range of presentations from complex trauma to anxiety, grief and addictive patterns.
What is EMDR?
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — is a structured therapy developed originally for trauma treatment. It works on the understanding that some experiences are not properly processed at the time they occur: they remain stored in a way that continues to affect emotions, behaviour and physical responses, often without the person being aware of why. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements, but also tapping or alternating sounds — to help the brain reprocess these stored experiences. What was frozen becomes capable of movement. The experience is not erased, but it loses its charge: it becomes a memory, rather than something that continues to act on the present.
20 years of EMDR — what that means in practice
Philippe Jacquet began training in EMDR over 20 years ago, at a time when it was still relatively new in clinical practice in the UK. He has worked with it continuously since, accumulating a depth of clinical experience that goes well beyond the standard EMDR practitioner training. He holds EMDR Europe accreditation — the highest level of recognised EMDR qualification in Europe — and uses the approach not as a standalone protocol but as part of an integrative therapeutic relationship that considers the whole person.
That length of experience matters particularly with complex presentations: people who have experienced repeated or prolonged trauma, people for whom earlier therapeutic attempts have not reached what needed to be reached, and people whose presenting difficulties — addiction, eating disorders, anxiety — are rooted in experiences that were never adequately processed. Over 20 years, Philippe has worked with all of these, and the accumulation of that experience is available in every clinical encounter.
What EMDR treats
EMDR is most widely known for PTSD and acute trauma, but its clinical applications extend considerably further. In this practice it is used for: complex and repeated trauma, including childhood trauma; single-incident trauma such as accidents, medical events or assault; anxiety and phobias with an identifiable origin; grief that has become complicated or stuck; addictive patterns where traumatic experience is part of the underlying structure; and eating disorders, particularly where adverse early experience plays a role. It is particularly valuable when a person understands intellectually why they respond as they do, but that understanding does not change the response — because something is held at a level that language and reasoning cannot reach.
EMDR within a wider therapeutic relationship
EMDR at this practice is never offered as a standalone treatment or a quick fix. It sits within a broader integrative and Jungian therapeutic relationship — one that does not reduce a person to their symptoms or their history, but is interested in the whole of who they are. For some people and some presentations, EMDR becomes the primary vehicle of the work for a period. For others, it is one element among several. In all cases, it is used within a clinical relationship built on trust, pacing, and careful attention to what the person needs.
Sessions are available at Harley Street W1, Central London, and online via secure video link. No GP referral is required.
Frequently asked questions
How long has Philippe Jacquet been practising EMDR?
Philippe Jacquet has been practising EMDR for over 20 years and holds EMDR Europe accreditation at the highest level — making him one of the most experienced EMDR practitioners in London.
For those dealing with the effects of traumatic experience, we offer dedicated trauma therapy in London — an integrative approach combining EMDR, somatic work, and depth psychology.
What conditions does EMDR treat?
EMDR is used for trauma including PTSD, complex and developmental trauma, anxiety and phobias with an identifiable origin, complicated grief, and presentations that have not fully resolved with purely verbal approaches.
Do I need a GP referral for EMDR therapy in London?
No referral is needed. An initial consultation is the appropriate first step — a private conversation with no obligation beyond it.
Where is EMDR therapy available?
EMDR sessions are available at Harley Street W1, Central London, and Bermondsey SE1, and online via secure video link.
EMDR Therapy London — Frequently Asked Questions
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps the brain process distressing memories that have become stuck. Rather than talking through events in conventional ways, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (typically guided eye movements) to support the brain’s natural ability to integrate difficult experiences. It is recommended by NICE and the World Health Organisation as a first-line treatment for trauma and PTSD.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
This varies depending on the nature and complexity of what is being worked on. For a single-incident trauma, meaningful progress is often visible within 6–12 sessions. Complex or developmental trauma typically requires longer work. Philippe Jacquet has over 20 years of EMDR practice and will give an honest assessment at the initial consultation.
Is EMDR available online?
Yes. EMDR is delivered effectively via secure video. Philippe Jacquet works with clients across the UK and internationally — including Dubai, Monaco, Brussels and Nairobi — by encrypted video link. Online EMDR follows the same clinical protocol as in-person work.
How is EMDR different from talking therapy?
Conventional talking therapy processes experience through language and insight. EMDR works differently — it targets the way a memory is stored in the nervous system, using bilateral stimulation to allow the brain to reprocess it. Many clients find that EMDR moves things that years of talking therapy have not reached. The two approaches can also be used together.
What can EMDR treat beyond PTSD?
While EMDR is best known for trauma and PTSD, it is also used effectively for anxiety, phobias, depression, grief, eating disorders, addiction and complex developmental trauma. Philippe Jacquet integrates EMDR within a broader integrative and Jungian framework, which allows it to address presentations that go beyond straightforward PTSD.
How do I know if EMDR is right for me?
The initial consultation — 60 minutes — is the right place to explore this. Philippe Jacquet will assess your history, the nature of what you are working with, and whether EMDR is the most appropriate approach. There is no obligation beyond that conversation.
The Evidence Base for EMDR
EMDR is one of the most rigorously researched psychological therapies available. NICE — the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which sets clinical standards for the NHS — recommends EMDR as a first-line treatment for PTSD alongside trauma-focused CBT. The World Health Organisation and the American Psychological Association have reached the same conclusion.
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Psychology (Simpson et al.) analysed 29 randomised controlled trials — the most comprehensive review of EMDR for adult PTSD conducted to date. It confirmed that EMDR was significantly more effective than waitlist or usual care, and equivalent in effectiveness to trauma-focused CBT. A 2024 meta-analysis by Wright et al. found EMDR equally effective as Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy across randomised controlled trials. These are not minor findings: they represent the same conclusion, reached independently, across the largest and most methodologically rigorous bodies of evidence available.
Philippe Jacquet has been practising EMDR for over 20 years, accredited to the highest level by EMDR Europe. That longevity matters clinically: EMDR is not a protocol that can be learned in a weekend course and applied adequately. The preparation phase, the pacing of bilateral stimulation, the capacity to manage what emerges — these are skills that develop through years of supervised practice with complex presentations.
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