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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU: Challenges of EDMR on NHS (trauma, sea, but no details)

33 replies

DonnaHadDee · 18/07/2026 12:37

I was involved in a very scary incident about 12 years ago with my step mother and a friend. I won’t go into the details but for 30 minutes it looked really bad. Boating, mechanical failure, dramatic weather change, dark, broken ribs for me, etc.

Afterwards I just got on with things, busy with work, teenagers, changing jobs and countries, family health issues, and so on. Went back sailing within months too. I’m very fit and active, an army and farming family background where you get on with things. It’s always been in the background though. Due to some health check up things and what I attributed to work-stress I ended up doing EDMR after recommendation from my GP in the past year. Paid for myself. I’ve found it so helpful for me personally both mentally, and it helped with general health too.

It was an unknown topic to me, but as I mentioned it to others I learned more. I was very skeptical, I did not want to talk about it with people (I can and have done that with DH).

No problem for me to afford this myself. But I’m thinking about others who cannot. It has been a very effective approach for me. It seems a very cost-effective option, and limited time duration, and has well documented results. One year later, I really think it should be a more readily available on NHS

YANBU: Yes of course. It works and could be limited time/cost.
YABU: If people think it works they should pay for me

OP posts:
Bushmillsbabe · 18/07/2026 13:23

It's very much a postcode lottery.

I had severe PNA whilst living in London, picked up quickly by crisis mental health and visited daily by MH nurses for over a month, saw a maternity specialist consultant psychologist every week for nearly a year. I was so much better by 4 months later, and by 8 months I came off medications fully and went on to have a 2nd child with no relapse - psychologist even saw me for a few sessions before birth of 2nd child for a few 'preventative' sessions. I returned to work on schedule 1 year after birth of first, no sick leave.

We now live 20 miles outside London, DH went to GP saying having suicidal thoughts, got handed a leaflet to call talking therapies, our GP (who is excellent) tried to get him prioritised and apologised that services so bad. I had to get his mum to come stay whilst I went to work as he was 'at risk' but not high enough to receive any support. After 4 months he received online group therapy for 6 weeks. 8 months later still no individual support. He has tried to push through but has needed extended periods sick leave when at worst - he is public sector so this is costing the country far more than providing better MH support.

Working for the nhs, I can see it getting even worse under this government, the services my team could provide a few years ago we no longer have capacity to provide. So that might be part of it - my MH crisis was 8 years ago, under previous government.

Original poster
DonnaHadDee · 18/07/2026 13:10

Working in the science area, I also did a certain amount of research prior to doing it, as it was not something I was aware of, or properly understood (and I'm not sure I really get the "how it works" part today).

For my specific case, one very specific traumatic event a long time in the past, was a bit different too? The fact I did not have to do all this "talk therapy" stuff helped a lot too, as that's something I feel I would have struggled with.

OP posts:
Octavia64 · 18/07/2026 13:07

I was in a traumatic accident a number of years ago which left me seriously injured. I did not know about it being available on the nhs nor have I ever been offered it.

i have considered it privately

Original poster
DonnaHadDee · 18/07/2026 13:06

Technically it is available, but I think it should be more readily available, considering the time/cost versus potential benefit. With my GP discussion, she strongly recommended paying myself due to time/backlog/prioritization.

I'm certain that today I would not meet the "patients typically must be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" criteria. I think I coped OK myself, so there would be much higher priority cases.

And subjectively I feel it made a big difference to my health. Even though the incident was over 12 years and I'd have though it would have faded into the background more.

OP posts:
Plimtoemin · 18/07/2026 13:03

YANBU. My young person only managed 3 sessions of EMDR but it was life changing. But even though she was unable to go to school and in so much distress she was pulling her own fingernails out, she was triaged out by CAMHS as not high need enough to be seen.

This is also a huge issue in under 18s getting antidepressants. There must be thousands like my child who desperately needed them and could be helped by them, but couldn't get them because the bar for getting accepted by CAMHS is so much higher than the level at which they are therapeutically indicated. Children are rotting away unable to leave the house or access school, their life chances and potential future tax payments ebbing away all because CAMHS is too underfunded to help everyone who needs them.

I agree with you OP. Saying it is already available is missing the point, because to so many, it actually isn't.

headturned · 18/07/2026 12:46

EMDR is available in adult and childrens MH in my area.

Cracinbik · 18/07/2026 12:44

EMDR is available on NHS, I know several people who’ve had it. The problem is people first have to be seen by a trauma specialist and the waiting lists are long for specialist psychological therapies on NHS

ShakaWhenTheWallsFell · 18/07/2026 12:41

It is readily available on the NHS, so much as anything is "readily available". You can be referred for EMDR for a signal traumatic incident and then you wait for a while (months or years) to actually be seen.

It's a standard treatment for PTSD on the NHS