EMDR Therapy Sydney | My Bondi Hypnotherapist

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is an evidence-based therapy that uses bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements — to help the brain process and resolve distressing memories. It is recognised by the World Health Organisation and the Australian Psychological Society as a gold standard treatment for trauma and PTSD, and is now widely used for anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, and other conditions where past experiences are driving present-day symptoms.

Yes. EMDR is one of the most thoroughly researched therapies available. It is recognised by the World Health Organisation, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Australian Psychological Society as an evidence-based treatment for PTSD. Research also supports its effectiveness for anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, depression, and other trauma-related conditions. Most clients working on a specific issue notice meaningful change within 4 to 6 sessions.

No — and this is one of the most significant advantages of EMDR. You do not need to describe your experience in detail for the processing to work. You hold the memory in mind while the bilateral stimulation does its job. Many people find this far more manageable than traditional trauma-focused talk therapy, where describing what happened in detail is often unavoidable.

This depends on what you are working on. For a single specific event or memory, meaningful change is often possible in 3 to 6 sessions. Anxiety with identifiable roots typically takes 6 to 8 sessions. Complex or longstanding trauma may require more. Claire will give you an honest estimate during your free discovery call — before you commit to anything. This is not open-ended therapy.

Psychologists offering EMDR in Sydney typically charge $240 to $320 per session. After a Medicare rebate of $145.25, most people pay $95 to $175 out of pocket — after a GP appointment, a referral, and often a wait of several weeks. Claire's fee is $160 per session with no GP referral required and no annual session cap. A 6-session package is available for $870, saving $90 on the per-session rate.

No. Claire is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Strategic Psychotherapist, not a registered psychologist. No GP referral or Mental Health Care Plan is needed to book. Sessions are not Medicare-rebatable, but are priced at $160 — in line with what most people pay out of pocket after their Medicare rebate anyway. And there is no 10-session annual cap.

Both EMDR and hypnotherapy work with the unconscious mind to shift patterns that conscious effort alone cannot reach. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to reprocess specific memories. Hypnotherapy uses a deeply relaxed, focused state to access and update patterns directly. Claire is trained in both and integrates them based on what each client needs — sometimes using EMDR to clear the root of what is driving anxiety, and hypnotherapy to build a calm regulated baseline alongside it.

CBT works primarily at the level of conscious thought — identifying and challenging unhelpful thinking patterns. EMDR works at the level of memory and the nervous system. For people whose anxiety has deep roots or has not responded to CBT, EMDR often reaches something that conscious restructuring alone cannot. Many clients come to EMDR after years of CBT with a solid understanding of their patterns — but understanding them has not changed them. That is exactly where EMDR tends to move things.

Yes. Online EMDR is widely used and clinically effective. A 2025 study found that EMDR delivered via telehealth produces equivalent outcomes to in-person EMDR for trauma-related conditions. Claire uses an adapted format for video sessions that maintains bilateral stimulation throughout. Many clients across Australia work with Claire exclusively online.

Yes. While EMDR was originally developed for PTSD, it is now used effectively for anxiety disorders, panic attacks, phobias, social anxiety, and performance anxiety. For many people, anxiety has a trauma component even if what happened does not feel dramatic enough to count as trauma. Chronic criticism, emotional unpredictability, bullying, or years of high-pressure environments can shape the nervous system just as powerfully as a single acute event. EMDR addresses that underlying root rather than just the surface symptoms.

No. You do not need any formal diagnosis to work with Claire. EMDR is used effectively for a wide range of conditions beyond PTSD — including anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, low self-worth, and insomnia. If something that happened is still affecting how you feel, think, or respond today, EMDR may be able to help regardless of whether it has a diagnostic label.

Claire Addis offers EMDR therapy in-person at Bondi Junction in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, serving clients from Bondi, Waverley, Bronte, Coogee, Randwick, and surrounding areas. Online sessions are available to anyone across Australia.