In this thoughtful and deeply human episode of The EMDR Doctor podcast, Dr. Caroline Lloyd unpacks a complicated emotion many of us were taught to avoid: anger.

Why is it that anger feels so off-limits—especially for women? What if, instead of being something to hide or fix, anger was actually a sign of wisdom… of protection… of boundaries being drawn?

Dr. Lloyd explores how our culture silences anger, the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways it’s scrubbed from our emotional and physical expressions, and why reclaiming this emotion is such a vital part of trauma recovery. Through client reflections, personal insights, and therapeutic wisdom, she explains how EMDR therapy can help us safely explore anger and get to what’s often underneath it: sadness, grief, and healing.

Whether you’re someone who fears your own anger, suppresses it, or feels overwhelmed by it—this episode offers a compassionate, eye-opening path forward.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why anger often masks deeper emotions like sadness or betrayal

How EMDR helps uncover and resolve unprocessed emotions in a safe, regulated way

The difference between healthy anger and harmful expression

How acknowledging your anger can be a step toward reclaiming your voice, your safety, and your sense of self

Why anger doesn’t make you broken—it makes you human

Key Highlights:

A powerful reframe: anger as a protector, not a problem

How culture teaches us—especially women—to hide or erase anger

Botox culture and the emotional cost of smoothing over our expressions

The distinction between anger (emotion) and aggression (behaviour)

Client stories that show how trauma often pushes anger underground

The therapeutic power of EMDR in working through anger safely

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

After a brief break over Easter and ANZAC Day, Dr. Caroline is back—and this week, she’s taking listeners behind the scenes as she prepares for her presentation at the upcoming EMDR Association Conference. With humour, honesty, and a healthy dose of self-reflection, she explores how EMDR can support performance enhancement—whether it's public speaking, elite sports, or simply pushing through procrastination. She also shares a very human moment from her past (yes, there’s a theatre mishap involved!) and explains how those forgotten memories can quietly shape our confidence today. If you've ever felt like fear was standing between you and your potential, listen to this episode.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

EMDR can be used for performance anxiety by targeting unresolved past events, current triggers, and building confident future templates.

Procrastination is often a fear response, not just laziness or poor planning.

Memories we think we’ve “moved on” from can still quietly shape our self-perception—until we process them.

Performance issues in sport, speaking, or work often stem from core beliefs like “I’m not good enough” or “I’ll mess this up.”

Therapy should focus on the client’s personal goals for performance, not the therapist’s idea of what “should” be worked on.

Key Highlights:

Dr. Caroline opens up about procrastination and the fear behind her own conference prep.

She shares a surprising memory from her teenage years on stage—and how it resurfaced during EMDR.

Real talk about imposter syndrome, inner critics, and how even experienced professionals feel the pressure.

A thoughtful discussion about how birth order might influence performance patterns.

Insight into how injuries can create mental blocks for athletes, even after physical healing.

A timely reminder that high performance and good mental health don’t always walk hand-in-hand.

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

In this solo episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd reflects on how EMDR therapy can subtly (and sometimes dramatically) shift our relationships — even when we're not directly working on them. From calming parent-child dynamics to challenging long-standing patterns like people-pleasing, Caroline explores the ripple effects of healing, and why sometimes things might get messy before they get better. Plus, she teases a fascinating approach to EMDR with couples that might be coming to the podcast soon!

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why every EMDR experience is unique — no one-size-fits-all healing

How working on your own trauma can lead to more peaceful and connected relationships

What a “virtuous cycle” looks like in real life — and how healing yourself can help calm others around you

Why suppressed resentment in relationships (like with a parent) matters, even if no one talks about it

How EMDR can reveal the ways we overcompensate to maintain peace 

Why EMDR can sometimes cause friction in relationships — and how that’s actually part of the growth

A relatable example of how trauma healing can shake up an unequal relationship dynamic 

A fascinating peek into EMDR being used with couples, even if it’s not traditional couples therapy

Key Highlights:

Dr. Caroline reflects on listener feedback and the individuality of the EMDR journey

A beautiful client story showing how EMDR shifted a parent-child dynamic toward more calm and connection

Insight into hidden resentment and overcompensation in relationships — and how healing can bring authenticity

Introduction of the idea that healing might require renegotiating the relationship or even bringing in couples therapy

Mention of a unique approach where EMDR is done with both partners present — powerful, intimate, and eye-opening

Hint at a future podcast episode with a couples therapist to dig deeper into that model

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Don’t miss next week’s episode — we’ll be exploring even more about how EMDR can shape our lives and relationships. You won’t want to miss the insights (and maybe a special guest).

Follow The EMDR Doctor podcast to stay in the loop with expert chats, inspiring stories, and practical takeaways for your healing journey.

Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

In this powerful first guest episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd sits down with Sharon, a breast cancer survivor whose life changed through EMDR therapy. Sharon opens up about her childhood trauma, the deep loss of identity during cancer treatment, and how EMDR helped her reconnect with herself and rediscover a sense of wholeness. This is a heartfelt and courageous conversation about healing, self-worth, and finding peace after pain.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

How trauma can quietly shape our identity over time — and how EMDR can help us rewrite the narrative.

What it’s like to go through EMDR therapy from a client’s perspective.

The connection between physical illness and emotional trauma.

Why reclaiming your voice and identity is possible at any stage in life.

How powerful it is to feel truly heard, seen, and understood.

Key Highlights:

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

Motherhood is life-changing—but for many, it comes with unexpected challenges, trauma, and emotional struggles. In this episode, we’re diving into the perinatal period, the mental load new mums carry, and how EMDR therapy can help process distressing memories. Plus, I’ll be sharing details about my exciting new collaboration with Mums Matter Psychology and how you can join our upcoming Group EMDR sessions. If you’re a new mum or supporting one, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

A deeper understanding of perinatal trauma and how it affects mental health.

Insight into how EMDR can be a game-changer for new mothers.

Information on accessible, low-cost Group EMDR sessions.

Practical self-care tips for postpartum mental well-being.

Encouragement and hope—reminding struggling mums that healing is possible!

Key Highlights:

Introducing EMDR in the Perinatal Period: A look at how Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help new mothers navigate trauma and distress.

Collaboration with Mums Matter Psychology: Announcement of an exciting partnership to offer low-cost online Group EMDR sessions for mums, starting in May.

The Emotional Rollercoaster of Motherhood: Exploring the massive emotional and hormonal shifts from conception through the first year postpartum.

Birth Plans vs. Reality: A candid discussion on the gap between expectations and actual birth experiences, and how that can impact mental health.

The Hidden Toll of Perinatal PTSD: How distressing birth experiences can lead to long-term trauma, anxiety, and feelings of failure in new mothers.

Barriers to Seeking Help: Why many mums delay getting support and the consequences of untreated trauma.

How EMDR Can Help: The power of processing traumatic memories to improve maternal mental health and family bonding.

Practical Tips for Postnatal Mental Health: Simple, effective strategies from Mums Matter Psychology to support new mums.

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

This episode builds on last week's discussion about the body's response to trauma and the Five F’s—Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn, and Flop. This time, we’re diving deeper into how memories are stored in the body and the powerful connection between body sensations and past experiences.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to The EMDR Doctor Podcast! In this episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd dives into the fascinating world of trauma and the body’s instinctive responses. From the fight-or-flight reaction to the lesser-known ‘Flop’ response, she breaks down how our brains and bodies work in high-stress situations.

She also unpacks how EMDR therapy helps rewire the brain—moving traumatic memories out of the fear center and into long-term storage, making them less distressing. If you've ever wondered why certain triggers set off intense emotions or how EMDR actually works on a biological level, this episode is for you!

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Key Highlights:

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Dr. Caroline dives into a term that's often thrown around but not always fully understood — triggers.

We hear it all the time: “That was so triggering!” — but what does being triggered really mean? Spoiler alert: it’s not just about feeling annoyed or disagreeing with someone.

Dr. Caroline breaks down the true definition of a trigger, why using the term incorrectly can trivialize serious mental health conditions like PTSD, and how to spot the difference between feeling upset and experiencing a trauma response.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Key Highlights:

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd reflects on her own experiences as a therapy client and a therapist. She explores what makes a great therapist, critiques outdated methods like the "all-knowing" distant therapist and the "silent treatment" approach, and shares why she prefers EMDR over traditional CBT. Dr. Lloyd passionately explains how EMDR fosters change without conflict, allowing clients to process trauma at their own pace.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

The qualities that make a therapist truly effective and compassionate.

Why outdated therapeutic methods can sometimes harm rather than help clients.

How CBT's thought-challenging techniques may not suit everyone — and why that's okay.

The unique benefits of EMDR therapy, including how it promotes lasting change without creating conflict.

The difference between weekly talk therapy and EMDR's more solution-focused approach.

Key Highlights:

The "Super Therapist" Ideal: Dr. Lloyd's early ambition to become a compassionate, effective therapist — balancing empathy, knowledge, and care.

Therapeutic Approaches She Critiques:

The distant, formal therapist who offers little feedback beyond a "hmm."

The silent treatment approach, which she likens to gaslighting and finds counterproductive.

Conflict in Therapy: How growing up in a conflict-avoidant household shaped her discomfort with CBT's "thought-challenging" techniques, making it feel like an argument rather than support.

Why She Prefers EMDR:

EMDR creates a non-confrontational space for clients.

Change happens at the client’s pace — without forced thought corrections.

Sessions often bring about a sense of resolution and progress, whether small or large.

Therapy Models: She contrasts the slow progress of traditional psychotherapy with the often immediate, tangible changes experienced in EMDR sessions.

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Dr. Caroline Lloyd addresses a common question — How do I prepare for EMDR and get it right? She reassures listeners that there is no "right" way to do EMDR, debunking the pressure to perfect the process. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of allowing thoughts to flow freely and trusting your therapist to guide you through each step.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

No "Right" or "Wrong" Way to Do EMDR:

EMDR is not about mastering a skill or "getting it right."

Each session is unique and cannot be replicated — your experience may shift from one session to the next.

Why People Want to "Get It Right":

Many feel pressure to heal quickly or fear they might do something "wrong."

Perfectionism and anxiety about making mistakes can drive this worry.

The Real Preparation for EMDR:

The best way to prepare is to practice allowing your thoughts to flow freely — not controlling or avoiding them.

This is not mindfulness but a process of letting your brain go where it needs to go.

If Letting Thoughts Flow Feels Too Hard:

That’s okay! It’s not a failure — it’s simply a reflection of your trauma response.

Your therapist will tailor the process to meet you where you are.

EMDR Preparation Exercises:

Common exercises like the container exercise, calm place, or protective figure can help with regulation.

However, there is no mandatory homework — these are optional tools for in-between sessions.

Dissociation and EMDR:

EMDR can still be effective if you experience dissociation.

Your therapist will work gradually, starting with smaller, less intense memories to build your capacity.

Key Highlights:

Why there's no "perfect" way to prepare for EMDR.

How to release the pressure of getting it "right."

Practical tips for allowing your thoughts to flow.

The role of preparation exercises and why they’re optional.

How EMDR adapts to your unique experience — even if dissociation is part of your trauma response.

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Join Dr. Caroline Lloyd as she demystifies PTSD and provides hope for recovery, showing that healing is possible with the right tools and support. Thanks for listening!