EMDR Association UK - Past, Present and Future

In this special pre-conference episode of Past, Present & Future, Dr Russell Hurn is joined by Canadian psychotherapist, EMDR trainer, author and anti-racist researcher-poet David Archer, ahead of David's keynote presentation at the EMDR UK Association Conference in London in March 2027. He is the author of five books which include Anti-Racist Psychotherapy, Racial Trauma Recovery, and Transforming Complex Trauma. His doctoral research involves an approach designed to address complex racial trauma called Rhythm and Processing (RAP) which utilizes predictive processing, memory reconsolidation, and cultural responsiveness to help complex trauma survivors and those who suffer from dissociative symptoms. RAP can be used as an adjunct to support EMDR therapy's eight phase protocol.David's route into EMDR has been anything but conventional. Growing up in Montreal as a second-generation Jamaican Canadian, he became a hip-hop artist and later a software engineer before moving into psychology, social work and family therapy. That combination of creativity, curiosity and a desire to understand how things work continues to shape his approach to psychotherapy. He describes hip-hop as giving him the opportunity to create a “disconfirming narrative” to the messages society gave him about who he could be. David and Russell explore his early clinical work with Indigenous communities, where learning from elders and medicine people — and studying the Mohawk language — challenged him to think beyond imposing a Western model of therapy. Their conversation considers what it really means for EMDR to be culturally responsive: from respecting names and language to allowing clients to process and resource in their mother tongue, even when the therapist does not understand the words being spoken. They also explore anti-racist psychotherapy, racial and intergenerational trauma, dissociation and the limits of the idea of “cultural competence”. For David, therapists can never completely know another person's culture; instead, the task is to remain responsive to the individual client in front of us and to recognise that culture can include everything from language and spirituality to music, television and video games.This leads into David's development of Rhythm and Processing (RAP) and his thinking about how culturally meaningful resources can sit within EMDR's eight-phase framework. He illustrates this with a striking clinical example in which a client's connection with a character from Avatar: The Last Airbender becomes a resource when more conventional approaches had not helped.Along the way, David and Russell discuss NLP and some of EMDR's influences, predictive processing, memory reconsolidation, the importance of remaining a student throughout our professional lives — and why David is creating a hip-hop album as part of his PhD dissertation.A lively, challenging and often very funny conversation about what can happen when we become curious about the whole person sitting in front of us — and allow culture, creativity and identity into the therapy room.David will be presenting at the EMDR UK Association Conference, London, March 2027, as the Association celebrates its 30th anniversary.For more information about his research, practice, and blog, his website is: https://archertherapy.com Books/resources mentioned or relevant to the episodeDavid's published work includes Anti-Racist Psychotherapy: Confronting Systemic Racism and Healing Racial Trauma, Black Meditation: Ten Practices for Self-Care, Mindfulness, and Self-Determination, Racial Trauma Recovery: Healing Our Past Using Rhythm and Processing, and Transforming Complex Trauma: Reflections on Anti-Racist Psychotherapy. 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.  

After his engaging presentation at the EMDR UK Bristol Conference in March 2026, Dr Russ Hurn sits down with psychosexual, relationship, and EMDR therapist Silva Neves, editor of Erotically Queer.Silva reflects on his personal journey with EMDR—first as a client, where he experienced its transformative power firsthand, and later as a trained therapist. Together, they explore the unique challenges LGBTQ+ clients may face in therapy, and how EMDR can offer meaningful support.Resource: https://www.routledge.com/Erotically-Queer-A-Pink-Therapy-Guide-for-Practitioners/Neves-Davies/p/book/9781032197319This 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 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/m002gztqIn 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 withLicensed 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/9781032102832This 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 articlehttps://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.