In this episode, Russell Hurn is joined by Peter Pruyn, EMDR Consultant and independent researcher, to explore the powerful connection between trauma and chronic pain—particularly in women.

Ahead of his upcoming Bristol conference presentation, Revisiting Cognitive Interweaves: Exploring Clinical Choices in a Case of Processing Menstrual Pain, Peter explains how emotional stress is often held in the body as physical tension, amplifying pain over time. He discusses the multiple layers of trauma experienced by women with conditions such as endometriosis, including medical trauma arising from under-resourced healthcare systems, and highlights the urgent need for increased research and reduced stigma in women’s health.

Peter shares insights into why women experience higher rates of chronic pain and autoimmune conditions, often linked to unresolved trauma, and explains how EMDR can be an effective approach for addressing the psychological components of chronic pain by targeting distressing memories and negative cognitions associated with pain.

The episode also features discussion of Peter’s clinical work, case examples, and his additional resources including Peter's website  www.emdrforwomenshealth.com 

Beating Endo: How to Reclaim Your Life from Endometriosis (2019) by Iris Kerin Orbuch MD, Amy Stein DPT. Two leading experts describe their integrative approach to understanding and treating endometriosis.

 The Vagina Book: An Owner’s Manual for Taking Care of Your Down There (2020) by Thinx and Jenn Conti. A highly readable collection of short, first-person narratives from women about periods, vaginal health, sex & contraception, and wellness & self-care.

 The First Political Order. How Sex Shapes Governance and National Security Worldwide (2020) by Valerie Hudson, Donna Lee Bowen, and Perpetua Lynne Nielsen.  An exhaustive analysis of 176 countries proving that gender inequality causes violence and gender equality causes peace.  

 A thoughtful and clinically rich conversation for therapists and anyone interested in trauma-informed approaches to chronic pain and women’s health.

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

EMDR UK Association's new patron, Darren McGarvey, is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, social commentator, and hip-hop recording artist (Loki). 

Darren grew up in Pollok on the south side of Glasgow and has lived through extreme poverty, addiction, and homelessness. 

In this episode, he shares his story with Russell Hurn, detailing how he began EMDR therapy as a teenager following the sudden death of his mother. He highlights the importance of his relationship with his therapist, Marlyn, and offers his thoughts on the current discourse surrounding trauma on social media. Darren also gives us a glimpse into his conference presentation at the EMDR UK 2025 conference in Liverpool.

In 2009, he founded Volition Scotland, an organisation that was designed and run by the young people who used it. He was part of the Poverty Truth Commission that was hosted in Glasgow in the same year. McGarvey became the Violence Reduction Unit’s first ever ‘Rapper-in Residence’ in 2015 and continues to work across Scotland in some of its most challenged communities. 

He was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, which deemed his books on social inequality to be of 'outstanding literary merit'.

His new book Trauma Industrial Complex: Oversharing in the Age of Lived Experience is available from August 2025.

11/08/25 Trauma Industrial Complex is Book of the Week on Radio 4 and you can listen again on BBC Sounds 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m002gztq

In a world where disinformation about personal trauma abounds, Darren McGarvey asks if the stories we tell ourselves are liberating us - or keeping us trapped 

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

EMDR UK presents a pre-conference 2025 podcast with
Licensed Clinical Social Worker and EMDR Consultant Hope Payson.

Hope draws on over 30 years of experience working with addiction and trauma, firmly believing they are deeply interconnected. Her journey with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) began during her time in an outreach program, where she encountered what she describes as the "wildest therapy" she had ever seen. Though initially skeptical, her perspective shifted after working with a client who had hit rock bottom following a relapse and overdose. With no other options proving effective, she decided to take a leap of faith, setting aside her fear of triggering another relapse. The result was transformative—her client achieved a remarkable recovery, solidifying her belief in EMDR's power to heal.

Hope emphasizes that addiction often serves as a symptom of underlying trauma, highlighting the intrinsic link between the two. She acknowledges, however, that one of the greatest challenges for EMDR therapists lies in crafting effective treatment plans tailored to each individual. At the 2025 conference, she will share practical strategies and insights to help fellow practitioners navigate this complex process.

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

At the EMDR European Conference in Dublin, Russell Hurn grabbed a few minutes with Clinical Psychologist and senior trainer,  Robin Logie as he came off stage to talk to him about his 'Wilderness Years' and his current book, EMDR Supervision- A Handbook, published by Routledge.

https://www.routledge.com/EMDR-Supervision-A-Handbook/Logie/p/book/9781032102832

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

In this special episode, Ludwig Cornil and Olivier Van Limbergen talk to Russell Hurn about their individual and very different journeys into EMDR. just before the EMDR UK conference in York in 2024.   
They give us a flavour of their presentation on relational trauma and the role of affect in reprocessing based on the original Shapiro texts. They will also share their hopes for the future of EMDR and how they would like to see it as a psychotherapy in its own right, using EMDR more flexibly, perhaps using it alongside psychedelics. 

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

In this Past, Present and Future EMDR UK pre-conference podcast, Russell Hurn talks to Femke Bannink Mbazzi about her presentation at the EMDR UK Conference in March 2024 on cultural adaptations. 
Femke is originally from The Netherlands and studied anthropology and psychology but now lives and works in Uganda. In this episode, she talks about her journey into EMDR therapy,  her difficult work with abducted children and the adaptations she makes in  EMDR therapy to make it more culturally appropriate for the communities in Africa.

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

In this special edition of Past, Present and Future, Russell Hurn interviews  Olatunde Spence and asks "Is EMDR an anti-racist therapy" and how can we be culturally informed when working with our clients? Olatunde talks about her experiences of racism as a  Black therapist, campaigner and activist who is also autistic.   

Link to Olatunde's ETQ article
https://etq.emdrassociation.org.uk/2023/10/16/is-emdr-an-anti-racist-therapy/

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

This episode with trainers and EMDR Consultants Caroline Van Diest and Naomi Fisher was recorded a few months after their successful presentation at the 2023 Glasgow conference on working with EMDR and autism.

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

Rebecca Kase is a licensed social worker, EMDR therapist, consultant, and trainer who integrates all of the 8 phases in  EMDR therapy with Polyvagal Theory. In this episode, she explains how she uses the Polyvagal theory throughout the eight phases of EMDR therapy and why we should befriend our nervous system 

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.

Dr Derek Farrell former President of EMDR UK, Psychologist and Principal Lecturer at the University of Worcester is a major contributor to the development of EMDR around the world. 
In this episode, he discusses his work with adult survivors of clergy sexual abuse, Hillsborough, Grenfell and the concept of moral injury and his Humanitarian Trauma Capacity Building work. 
Dr Farrell also talks about EMDR research and why he thinks EMDR works as a therapy, particularly with shame-based trauma.

This is a Laura Beech production for EMDR UK.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and presenters and are not endorsed by the Association.