Why EMDR Therapy is Essential for Restoring Balance
In the world of mental health care, clinicians often witness the long-term toll of chronic stress and trauma on their clients. Perhaps also on themselves. If like me, your clients eyes glaze over if you use the word stress, you can feel that it is hard to communicate the gravity of allostatic overload on long-term health in every area of life.
Allostatic overload occurs when the body’s stress response, meant to help us adapt and survive, becomes overworked and dysregulated due to prolonged exposure to stressors that cannot be met and managed – this is another description of the physiological experiences from trauma. Instead of restoring balance, the nervous system gets stuck in the effort and cycles with hyperarousal and exhaustion, leading to mental and physical health symptoms like anxiety, depression, and PTSD, as well as physical issues such as chronic pain, inflammation, and autoimmune disorders. This is an explanation for the high degree of co-morbidity between chronic physical health and mental health problems.
Understanding this physiological impact of trauma is crucial—not just for clients, but for therapists who want to provide truly transformative care and who want longevity in their practice.
This is where EMDR therapy makes a difference. By helping the brain reprocess disturbing memories, EMDR reduces the body’s stress response as the nervous system recognizes that although this trauma DID HAPPEN TO ME, it is also OVER NOW, restoring the nervous system to a state of resilience and balance. Clients who have spent years feeling stuck in their trauma often experience profound relief as EMDR allows them to engage with life more fully—without being hijacked by the past. For clinicians, integrating EMDR into their practice offers a deeper, more effective way to support lasting healing, making their work not only more impactful but also more fulfilling.
For mental health professionals looking to expand their expertise EMDR Australia Consultation and Training offers the original EMDR Institute Basic Training in EMDR Therapy in small group settings. This training equips clinicians with the skills to address trauma at its core, EMDR is not just another therapy—it’s a tool that can reignite your passion for clinical work, offering new ways to help clients move beyond survival and into thriving. If you’re ready to deepen your impact and bring meaningful change to your clients’ lives, 2025 is the year to take this next step. Invest in your growth and theirs—EMDR training will transform both your practice and your clients’ futures.
Download our free handout – Reducing Your Allostatic Load – to identify your stressors and take steps toward restoring balance.
EMDR training can be undertaken by a range of clinical disciplines. I invite you to join us in learning EMDR. Course details and eligibility can be found on our EMDR training page.
Have more questions about EMDR? Read some of our previous blog posts or head over to our page of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)!
