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 for pre order and due for release in August 2025

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.

Episode 2
This is the second part of a 2 episode mini-series from EMDR UK introduced by Russell Hurn. In this interview, EMDR Consultant Millia Begum talks to Professor Ad De Jongh from the University of Amsterdam about current research and the application of the working memory model to  EMDR theory and practice.

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.