The EMDR Doctor Podcast

Dr Caroline Lloyd
  • 4.0 (4)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Dr Caroline is a Mental Health GP who is passionate about helping her clients resolve their difficult memories using EMDR. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is an amazingly effective therapy for trauma and difficult memories. This podcast demystifies EMDR. Dr Caroline shares all her knowledge and experience to help you decide if EMDR is for you, and how best to get the most from your EMDR journey.

  1. 6d ago

    74. How soon is to soon to do EMDR?

    In this episode, Dr. Caroline reflects on assisting with EMDR basic training led by Larissa Meysner, noting how more recent training now incorporates more sophisticated, somatically-focused techniques earlier than in the past. She discusses her own evolving practice, which blends EMDR with schema therapy, EMDR 2.0, and relational integrative approaches, emphasizing creativity and a lighter tone, even when addressing painful memories. She also addresses the ongoing debate in the EMDR community between prioritizing safety through extensive resourcing, versus efficacy through earlier reprocessing of well-resourced clients faced with an urgent situation.   Key Points: 1. Inspiring training experience: Dr. Lloyd assisted with EMDR basic training run by Larissa Meysner and was struck by how training has evolved, with sophisticated techniques she once learned as "advanced" now being taught as standard practice from day one. 2. Blending approaches: Her own practice incorporates schema therapy (rewriting difficult memory scenes), EMDR 2.0 (developed in the Netherlands by Ad de Jongh and Suzy Matthijssen), and relational integrative EMDR (attachment-focused imagination work), which she credits with making sessions faster and more effective. 3. Bringing lightness to trauma work: She emphasizes the value of injecting fun, creativity, and personality into EMDR sessions, even when addressing dark or painful memories, noting that this approach can help transform distressing memories into something lighter. 4. Safety vs. efficacy debate: She highlights a philosophical divide in the EMDR community—some practitioners over-emphasize lengthy resourcing and preparation before reprocessing, while she believes most clients (in her view, about 99%) are ready to begin active trauma reprocessing much sooner. 5. Case example and encouragement: She shares an example of starting EMDR reprocessing in a client's very first session due to time constraints, and encourages both therapists and clients to consider moving into reprocessing earlier, arguing that relieving distress sooner actually builds resilience and reduces the need for extensive resourcing beforehand.   Resources Mentioned: • EMDR Therapy for Trauma: If you're in Australia and want personalized support, Dr. Lloyd’s individual or group therapy sessions may be right for you. • EMDR Doctor Membership: If you’ve worked with Dr. Lloyd before and need ongoing support, check out the EMDR Doctor Membership page for monthly opportunities to continue EMDR therapy. • Consultation & Supervision: Book a supervision session with Dr. Lloyd. • Psychology Training with Larissa Meysner • EMDR Training by Ad de Jongh and Suzy Matthijssen   Contact and Feedback: • If you’ve been affected by trauma, or if you want to discuss how EMDR can help you heal from past wounds, get in touch with Dr. Lloyd at emdrdoctor.com.au • Appointments for consultation or supervision, with Dr. Lloyd, can be made via Halaxy. Remember, healing from trauma is a journey — you don’t have to do it alone.   Subscribe & Stay Connected: • Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Each week, we dive into the powerful ways EMDR therapy can help you heal, grow, and reclaim your life. If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from this information. • See me in person over on my YouTube channel — it’s a great way to connect face-to-face, learn more about EMDR, and get a sense of how we might work together in therapy. Join me, Dr. Caroline Lloyd, as we unpack trauma, explore the science of EMDR, and share real stories of recovery and resilience.

  2. Aug 4

    73. Can EMDR help menopause?

    In this episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd discusses the possible role of EMDR for helping with menopause. EMDR plays a role in resolving underlying CPTSD/trauma that often resurfaces as estrogen declines; and for directly targeting the distress, anxiety, and self-consciousness associated with symptoms like sleep disruption and hot flushes.   Key Points: 1. Declining estrogen can "unmask" underlying CPTSD – As estrogen drops, women who have long coped with unresolved trauma often find their mental health symptoms (burnout, exhaustion, low mood) become more apparent, and resolving that trauma with EMDR could help them handle midlife challenges more confidently. 2. EMDR may help menopausal sleep problems – Since much middle-of-the-night anxiety and rumination stems from past trauma or daily worries, self-administered EMDR while lying awake may reduce distress and support a return to sleep. 3. EMDR could reduce distress around hot flushes – While EMDR wouldn't stop the vasomotor instability itself, it could lessen the embarrassment, shame, and self-consciousness that accompany hot flushes—which in turn may prevent that emotional distress from intensifying the flushing. 4. Menopause often coincides with broader midlife identity shifts – Beyond hormonal changes, women often face role changes (grandparenting, caring for aging parents, career shifts, divorce), and resolving past trauma through EMDR may help build resilience for navigating these life transitions.   Resources Mentioned: • EMDR Therapy for Trauma: If you're in Australia and want personalized support, Dr. Lloyd’s individual or group therapy sessions may be right for you. • EMDR Doctor Membership: If you’ve worked with Dr. Lloyd before and need ongoing support, check out the EMDR Doctor Membership page for monthly opportunities to continue EMDR therapy. • Consultation & Supervision: Book a supervision session with Dr. Lloyd.   Contact and Feedback: • If you’ve been affected by trauma, or if you want to discuss how EMDR can help you heal from past wounds, get in touch with Dr. Lloyd at emdrdoctor.com.au  • Appointments for consultation or supervision, with Dr. Lloyd, can be made via Halaxy. Remember, healing from trauma is a journey — you don’t have to do it alone.   Subscribe & Stay Connected: • Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Each week, we dive into the powerful ways EMDR therapy can help you heal, grow, and reclaim your life. If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from this information. • See me in person over on my YouTube channel — it’s a great way to connect face-to-face, learn more about EMDR, and get a sense of how we might work together in therapy. Join me, Dr. Caroline Lloyd, as we unpack trauma, explore the science of EMDR, and share real stories of recovery and resilience.

    73. Can EMDR help menopause?

  3. Jul 12

    72. EMDR for perfectionism

    In this episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd explores perfectionism not as a simple drive for high standards, but as a fear-based defense. Perfectionism often functions as protection against shame— “if I’m perfect, I won’t be criticized, rejected, or deemed not good enough”. Perfectionism often develops in childhood, and can become an exhausting adaptation that evolves into a vicious cycle: high standards yield occasional rewards and social admiration, which reinforce the behaviour even as it drains energy, and impedes relaxation and authentic performance. EMDR therapy can address the underlying shame, fear, and trauma that fuel perfectionism, and resolving these memories can reduce the compulsive drive for flawlessness. memories can reduce the compulsive drive for flawlessness.   Key Points: 1. Perfectionism is often a safety strategy, a fear and shame-driven defense—aiming for flawlessness to protect against criticism, rejection, and feeling not good enough, rather than a pure pursuit of excellence. 2. Perfectionism often has its roots in childhood, and stems from conditional love, parental criticism or absence, and experiences where mistakes were punished or love withheld, sometimes leading to parentification and internalized beliefs like “I’m not good enough.” 3. In adulthood, social rewards and online image pressures reinforce perfectionism, fuelling anxiety, procrastination, burnout, and chronic self-criticism. 4. EMDR can address underlying shame, fear, and trauma that sustain perfectionist patterns, by resolving painful memories and safety needs.   Resources Mentioned: • EMDR Therapy for Trauma: If you're in Australia and want personalized support, Dr. Lloyd’s individual or group therapy sessions may be right for you. • EMDR Doctor Membership: If you’ve worked with Dr. Lloyd before and need ongoing support, check out the EMDR Doctor Membership page for monthly opportunities to continue EMDR therapy. • Consultation & Supervision: Book a supervision session with Dr. Lloyd.   Contact and Feedback: • If you’ve been affected by trauma, or if you want to discuss how EMDR can help you heal from past wounds, get in touch with Dr. Lloyd at emdrdoctor.com.au  • Appointments for consultation or supervision, with Dr. Lloyd, can be made via Halaxy. Remember, healing from trauma is a journey — you don’t have to do it alone.   Subscribe & Stay Connected: • Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Each week, we dive into the powerful ways EMDR therapy can help you heal, grow, and reclaim your life. If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from this information. • See me in person over on my YouTube channel — it’s a great way to connect face-to-face, learn more about EMDR, and get a sense of how we might work together in therapy. Join me, Dr. Caroline Lloyd, as we unpack trauma, explore the science of EMDR, and share real stories of recovery and resilience.

    72. EMDR for perfectionism

  4. Jun 27

    71. EMDR FAQs

    In this episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd answers eight common questions about EMDR therapy, including how it differs from hypnosis, the importance of eye movements, how quickly it works, and its ability to treat a wide range of conditions beyond PTSD. She also addresses whether it can surface forgotten memories, whether belief in the therapy is necessary, the possibility of feeling worse before better, and whether it can be conducted online.   Key Points: 1. EMDR is not hypnosis — the client stays fully awake and in control, driving the process themselves, unlike hypnosis where the therapist directs an altered state of consciousness. 2. Eye movements are important — bilateral stimulation is a key part of EMDR, with eye movements being the most effective form, though alternatives like tapping or sound can be used when necessary. 3. EMDR works from the first session — changes to the target memory begin immediately, though broader behavioural changes may take more time depending on the complexity of the trauma. 4. EMDR treats more than PTSD — it has strong academic support for treating a wide range of conditions including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, panic attacks, and low self-esteem. 5. Forgotten memories may surface — processing difficult memories can remove emotional "blockages," allowing previously hidden memories to emerge, though large gaps in memory are less likely to be fully recovered. 6. Belief in EMDR is not required — it is not a placebo effect, and sceptical clients regularly experience significant results. 7. It can feel harder before it feels better — facing traumatic memories takes courage, and some clients, particularly those with severe or prolonged trauma, may go through a difficult period before experiencing relief. 8. EMDR can be done online — it is effectively delivered remotely, making it accessible to those who cannot attend in person, though some therapists prefer the connection of face-to-face sessions.   Resources Mentioned: • Consultation & Supervision: Need help implementing the Blind to Therapist protocol? Book a supervision session with Dr. Lloyd. Contact and Feedback: • If you’ve been affected by trauma, or if you want to discuss how EMDR can help you heal from past wounds, get in touch with Dr. Lloyd at emdrdoctor.com.au  • Appointments for consultation or supervision, with Dr. Lloyd, can be made via Halaxy.  Remember, healing from trauma is a journey — you don’t have to do it alone.   Subscribe & Stay Connected: • Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Each week, we dive into the powerful ways EMDR therapy can help you heal, grow, and reclaim your life. If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from this information. • See me in person over on my YouTube channel — it’s a great way to connect face-to-face, learn more about EMDR, and get a sense of how we might work together in therapy. Join me, Dr. Caroline Lloyd, as we unpack trauma, explore the science of EMDR, and share real stories of recovery and resilience.

    71. EMDR FAQs

  5. Jun 19

    70. How can EMDR help sleep?

    In this episode, we explore EMDR and sleep. Host, Dr. Caroline Lloyd explains how EMDR can be used in reducing the anxiety and catastrophic thinking behind insomnia, and also as a simple but effective self-soothing technique. Dr. Lloyd discusses nightmares, sleep talking, and sleep paralysis - emphasizing psychoeducation and fear reduction through EMDR. The episode also covers practical sleep hygiene tips, and available professional resources.   Key Points: • EMDR can address psychological causes of sleep problems (e.g., anxiety, catastrophizing or trauma-related distress). • EMDR can help with sleep-related anxiety using techniques like the Flash Forward for future worries, or a three-pronged past/present/future approach. • Self-administered EMDR at bedtime can serve as a practical, immediate tool to promote sleep by reducing distress and facilitating sleep onset. • Nightmares and other parasomnias (sleep paralysis, sleep talking, acting out) can improve with EMDR through targeting nightmare imagery, processing related trauma, and psychoeducation to reduce fear around sleep. • Core sleep hygiene remains essential (regular bedtimes, daytime exercise, relaxation before bed, limiting alcohol and screens, and a conducive sleep environment).   Resources Mentioned: • Dr. Lloyd’s recent webinar ‘Shame in Clinical Practice’ is now available as an on-demand webinar on the EMDRDoctor website. • Consultation & Supervision: Book a supervision session with Dr. Lloyd. • ‘Nothing Much Happens’: a podcast to help you get to sleep   Contact and Feedback: • If you’ve been affected by trauma, or if you want to discuss how EMDR can help you heal from past wounds, get in touch with Dr. Lloyd at emdrdoctor.com.au . • Appointments for consultation or supervision, with Dr. Lloyd, can be made via Halaxy. Remember, healing from trauma is a journey — you don’t have to do it alone.   Subscribe & Stay Connected: • Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Each week, we dive into the powerful ways EMDR therapy can help you heal, grow, and reclaim your life. If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from this information. • See me in person over on my YouTube channel — it’s a great way to connect face-to-face, learn more about EMDR, and get a sense of how we might work together in therapy. Join me, Dr. Caroline Lloyd, as we unpack trauma, explore the science of EMDR, and share real stories of recovery and resilience.

    70. How can EMDR help sleep?

  6. May 28

    69. Flying Blind - ways to help unspeakable shame. Blind to therapist protocol in EMDR therapy

    In this episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd explores the highly effective "Blind to Therapist" EMDR protocol. Sometimes, the shame attached to a traumatic event is simply too excruciating or unspeakable for a client to verbalize. Instead of spending months or years trying to get a client to narrate their trauma, therapists can use the Blind to Therapist protocol to provide immediate relief. Dr. Lloyd breaks down how to set up this protocol and its various applications beyond shame.   Key Points: • Tackling Unspeakable Shame: Why traditional talk therapy can stall when dealing with profound shame, and how EMDR offers a faster path to relief. • What is the Blind to Therapist Protocol? A walkthrough of how to use standard EMDR processing (identifying Negative/Positive Cognitions, emotions, body sensations, and SUDs) while the client keeps the specific image or event entirely private. • Additional Uses for the Protocol:        o Confidentiality Constraints        o Vicarious Trauma        o Cultural Issues        o Communication Barriers        o Translator Confidentiality   Resources Mentioned: • Upcoming Webinar: ‘Shame in Clinical Practice’. Learn more about the role and function of shame, how to identify it, and practical suggestions for working through it. Happening June 4th (Available as an on-demand webinar for future listeners). • Consultation & Supervision: Need help implementing the Blind to Therapist protocol? Book a supervision session with Dr. Lloyd.   Contact and Feedback: • If you’ve been affected by trauma, or if you want to discuss how EMDR can help you heal from past wounds, get in touch with Dr. Lloyd at emdrdoctor.com.au . • Appointments for consultation or supervision, with Dr. Lloyd, can be made via Halaxy. Remember, healing from trauma is a journey — you don’t have to do it alone.   Subscribe & Stay Connected: • Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Each week, we dive into the powerful ways EMDR therapy can help you heal, grow, and reclaim your life. If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from this information. • See me in person over on my YouTube channel — it’s a great way to connect face-to-face, learn more about EMDR, and get a sense of how we might work together in therapy.' Join me, Dr. Caroline Lloyd, as we unpack trauma, explore the science of EMDR, and share real stories of recovery and resilience.

    69. Flying Blind - ways to help unspeakable shame. Blind to therapist protocol in EMDR therapy

  7. May 12

    68. Mothers in EMDR therapy

    In this episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd reflects on the many experiences Mother’s Day can bring, including non-traditional mothering, caring for aging mothers, and grief after early loss. Drawing on her work providing group EMDR with the Australian organization Mums Matter, she describes how group EMDR involves minimal trauma disclosure, uses bilateral stimulation and distress ratings via chat, and supports each person’s brain to process toward adaptive, positive beliefs. She discusses common themes such as miscarriage and perinatal loss, emphasizing that mothers remain mothers after loss, and discusses how EMDR can reduce trauma related to loss and grief.   Main Theme: Mother’s Day reflections and how EMDR supports mothers through trauma and loss.   Key Points: • Reflection on the many different experiences of motherhood, including; traditional and non-traditional parenting, step-parenting, same-sex parenting, single mothers, caring for ageing mothers, and grief connected to losing a mother or becoming a mother in difficult circumstances • EMDR group work with ‘Mums Matter’, an Australian low-cost counselling service focused mainly on mothers. • A major theme in the groups was perinatal loss and miscarriage. Mother’s Day can be especially painful for women who have experienced these losses. • EMDR can reduce trauma, but it does not remove grief. Once trauma is processed, grief may feel more visible and may still need to be worked through. • EMDR works well in groups because it doesn’t require people to share their trauma in detail. Instead, it offers a process that helps the brain naturally work through distress and reconnect with more adaptive beliefs. Upcoming webinars for clinicians on treating Shame (June 4th), Dissociation (July), and Dissociative Identity Disorder (August).   Resources Mentioned: • EMDR Therapy for Trauma: If you're in Australia and want personalized support, Dr. Lloyd’s individual or group therapy sessions may be right for you. • EMDR Doctor Membership: If you’ve worked with Dr. Lloyd before and need ongoing support, check out the EMDR Doctor Membership page for monthly opportunities to continue EMDR therapy. •Mums Matter   Contact and Feedback: If you’ve been affected by trauma, or if you want to discuss how EMDR can help you heal from past wounds, get in touch with Dr. Lloyd at emdrdoctor.com.au  Appointments for consultation or supervision, with Dr. Lloyd, can be made via Halaxy. Remember, healing from trauma is a journey — you don’t have to do it alone.   Subscribe & Stay Connected: • Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Each week, we dive into the powerful ways EMDR therapy can help you heal, grow, and reclaim your life. If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from this information. • See me in person over on my YouTube channel — it’s a great way to connect face-to-face, learn more about EMDR, and get a sense of how we might work together in therapy.   Join me, Dr. Caroline Lloyd, as we unpack trauma, explore the science of EMDR, and share real stories of recovery and resilience.

    68. Mothers in EMDR therapy

  8. May 1

    67. Granparents in EMDR therapy

    In this episeode we explore the the role of grandparents in clients’ lives, within the EMDR framework. Sometimes, intergenerational trauma can span generations, with clients aiming to break the cycle for their own children. While, for many clients, grandparents represent love, kindness, protection, and stability, often contrasting with a parent’s traumatic experiences. Grandparents may provide a different kind of support—less immediate responsibility, more unconditional love, and a sense of safety in the present moment. Factors beyond age and life stage (e.g. financial stress and life transitions) influence parenting quality, but the grandparent-grandchild bond can be a powerful source of positive attachment.   Main Theme: The negative impacts of social media addiction and how EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy can help overcome it.   Key Points: • For many clients, grandparents represent love, kindness, protection, and stability, often contrasting with a parent’s traumatic experiences. • Intergenerational trauma can span generations, with clients aiming to break the cycle for their own children. • Grandparents may provide a different kind of support—less immediate responsibility, more unconditional love, and a sense of safety in the present moment. • Factors beyond age and life stage (e.g., financial stress, life transitions) influence parenting quality, but the grandparent-grandchild bond can be a powerful source of positive attachment.   How EMDR Can Help: • Resourcing: Use positive life experiences and relationships, especially with grandparents, to bolster clients’ self-worth and safety before addressing trauma. • Reinforcing existing bonds: Highlight memories of being loved and protected by grandparents to enhance a client’s sense of self (worthy, capable, safe). • In-session work: When processing distressing memories, incorporate imagined grandparent support (e.g., “What would your grandma say?”) to create a sense of immediate support, even though it’s imaginative.   Upcoming webinars for clinicians on treating Shame (June 4th), Dissociation (July), and Dissociative Identity Disorder (August).   Resources Mentioned: • EMDR Therapy for Trauma: If you're in Australia and want personalized support, Dr. Lloyd’s individual or group therapy sessions may be right for you. • EMDR Doctor Membership: If you’ve worked with Dr. Lloyd before and need ongoing support, check out the EMDR Doctor Membership page for monthly opportunities to continue EMDR therapy.   Contact and Feedback: If you’ve been affected by trauma, or if you want to discuss how EMDR can help you heal from past wounds, get in touch with Dr. Lloyd at emdrdoctor.com.au Appointments for consultation or supervision, with Dr. Lloyd, can be made via Halaxy. Remember, healing from trauma is a journey — you don’t have to do it alone.   Subscribe & Stay Connected: • Be sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Each week, we dive into the powerful ways EMDR therapy can help you heal, grow, and reclaim your life. If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from this information. • See me in person over on my YouTube channel — it’s a great way to connect face-to-face, learn more about EMDR, and get a sense of how we might work together in therapy.   Join me, Dr. Caroline Lloyd, as we unpack trauma, explore the science of EMDR, and share real stories of recovery and resilience.

    67. Granparents in EMDR therapy
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4 Ratings

About

Dr Caroline is a Mental Health GP who is passionate about helping her clients resolve their difficult memories using EMDR. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is an amazingly effective therapy for trauma and difficult memories. This podcast demystifies EMDR. Dr Caroline shares all her knowledge and experience to help you decide if EMDR is for you, and how best to get the most from your EMDR journey.

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