EMDR SPORT · Frequently Asked Questions
EMDR SPORT
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about EMDR SPORT, what it is, how it differs from sports psychology, what sessions involve, and what results to expect at the EMDR Therapy Clinic.
What is EMDR
SPORT?
EMDR SPORT is a specialised application of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, adapted specifically for sport and high-performance contexts. SPORT is an acronym (Sustained Performance Optimisation and Resilience Training) that captures the core purpose of the approach: not crisis management, but the sustained elevation of how you train, compete, and recover.
It is a structured, evidence-based protocol that works directly at the level of how memories are stored in the brain. Where other performance psychology approaches work at the level of conscious thought and behaviour, EMDR SPORT works at the level of memory storage itself, resolving the psychological material that caps performance, permanently.
Sports psychology and mental coaching typically work at the level of conscious thought, teaching skills like visualisation, self-talk management, arousal regulation, and attentional focus. These approaches are valuable, but they work by building strategies on top of the underlying psychological material rather than resolving it.
EMDR SPORT works differently. It targets the unprocessed memories and maladaptive beliefs that generate the psychological interference in the first place. Once that material is resolved, the athlete is no longer working around their psychology, they are freed from it. The changes do not require ongoing rehearsal or strategy because the source of the problem no longer exists.
Yes. EMDR Therapy is one of the most rigorously researched psychological interventions in existence. It is endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and mental health bodies across more than 30 countries as a first-line treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma-related conditions.
The application of EMDR Therapy to sport and performance is a developing field with a growing body of research supporting its effectiveness for performance anxiety, the yips, choking, and post-injury return. The underlying mechanism, Adaptive Information Processing and the role of unprocessed memories in psychological interference, provides a robust theoretical basis for its application in performance contexts.
No. EMDR SPORT does not require a significant trauma history to be effective. The Adaptive Information Processing model holds that any experience not fully processed at the time, including competitive failures, critical coaching, embarrassing defeats, or repeated experiences of underperforming under pressure, can generate interference patterns that affect current performance.
These are not “trauma” in the clinical sense, but they function in the same way neurologically: as stored material that activates in performance contexts and consumes cognitive resources. EMDR SPORT targets this material regardless of its severity.
EMDR SPORT is for any athlete or high-performer whose psychological state is limiting what they are physically capable of. This includes elite and professional athletes dealing with performance anxiety, the yips, choking under pressure, post-injury mental blocks, or fear of re-injury, as well as recreational competitors whose enjoyment and performance are being affected by psychological interference.
It is also relevant for performers outside sport, including executives, musicians, surgeons, and others whose performance in high-stakes situations is being undermined by unprocessed experience.
What happens
in sessions?
Sessions follow the standard EMDR Therapy protocol, adapted for performance targets. After an initial assessment and preparation phase, processing sessions involve identifying a specific target (a memory, belief, or experience) and activating it by holding its image, emotion, body sensation, and associated negative belief in awareness simultaneously.
Bilateral stimulation is then applied, through eye movements following a light bar, handheld pulsators, or auditory tones, while you hold the activated material in mind. Processing unfolds naturally; the therapist facilitates and monitors but does not direct what emerges. Sessions typically last 50–60 minutes, with processing sets interspersed with brief check-ins.
The first session is an assessment. Dr JC Coetzee will gather a detailed history of your performance context, competitive background, and specific presenting issues, and explain the EMDR SPORT process. No reprocessing takes place in the first session. You will leave with a clear understanding of whether EMDR SPORT is appropriate and, if so, what the treatment plan will look like.
For straightforward, single-issue performance problems (the yips, a specific mental block, a discrete fear of re-injury), significant change is often achieved within 3–6 sessions. For more complex presentations involving multiple performance issues, extensive competitive history, or underlying trauma, a course of 8–12 sessions is more typical.
The number of sessions required is determined by the complexity and number of targets identified during assessment, not by an arbitrary treatment length. Progress is monitored throughout and the treatment plan updated as processing unfolds. Most clients notice meaningful change within the first few sessions.
No. One of the significant advantages of EMDR Therapy over talk-based approaches is that detailed verbal recounting of difficult experiences is not required. You will be asked to identify a target memory and hold it in awareness during processing, but you are not required to describe it in detail or analyse it verbally.
Processing occurs internally, facilitated by the bilateral stimulation. Many clients find this a relief, particularly athletes who have had experiences they find difficult to talk about but which are clearly affecting their performance. The brain processes the material without the need for verbal narration.
During processing, it is common to notice shifting emotions, physical sensations, and associations as the memory is reprocessed. Some clients experience brief moments of emotional intensity; others find processing surprisingly neutral. Both are normal. The therapist monitors activation throughout and manages pacing to ensure processing remains within a productive range.
After a session, clients often feel a sense of relief, lightness, or tired clarity. Occasionally, processing continues between sessions as the brain integrates the work. This is normal and expected, and you will be prepared for this and given strategies to manage it if needed.
It is common for processing to continue between sessions. You may notice shifts in how memories feel, changes in mood, unexpected associations, or vivid dreams. This is a normal and expected part of the process, indicating that your brain is continuing to integrate the work done in session. Dr JC Coetzee will prepare you for this and provide grounding tools to use as needed.
What results
can I expect?
Many clients notice a meaningful shift within the first 2–3 processing sessions, a reduction in the emotional charge of the target memory, changes in how they relate to competitive scenarios, or an increased sense of confidence and psychological freedom. For discrete, single-issue presentations, full resolution is sometimes achieved within the first few sessions.
For complex presentations with multiple targets, change accumulates progressively across the treatment course. It is important not to assess final outcomes too early, as full integration often continues between sessions and across the weeks following a course of treatment.
Yes, in the sense that reprocessed memories do not revert to their previous state. Once a memory has been fully processed and the associated disturbance resolved, it remains processed. The emotional charge does not return. This is fundamentally different from coping strategies, which require ongoing rehearsal and can break down under sufficient pressure.
New experiences can generate new psychological material (a new injury, a new competitive failure, a new source of self-doubt) and these may require future work. But the targets that have been resolved remain resolved. The gains from EMDR SPORT are structurally integrated, not contingent on maintenance.
EMDR SPORT works differently for different people, and specific outcomes cannot be guaranteed. That said, 75% of clients report positive changes over the course of 3–12 sessions. The nature and extent of change depends on the complexity of the presenting issues, the number of targets identified, and the individual’s capacity to engage with processing.
Where outcomes are limited or progress stalls, this is discussed openly and the treatment plan adjusted accordingly, including referral or alternative approaches where appropriate.
EMDR SPORT is highly effective for the presentations it is designed to treat, but it is not a universal solution. Where processing stalls or outcomes are limited, this typically indicates one of three things: the treatment targets have not been fully identified, there is underlying psychological material requiring stabilisation before performance-focused processing can proceed, or a different approach is better suited to the presenting problem.
In all cases, progress is monitored throughout and the treatment plan adjusted accordingly. If EMDR SPORT is not producing the expected results, Dr Coetzee will discuss this openly and recommend alternative pathways, including referral where appropriate.
Booking, location
& online sessions
Yes. EMDR Therapy is fully deliverable via secure video platform and is equally effective online as in-person. Research conducted during and after the COVID-19 period has confirmed that online EMDR Therapy produces comparable outcomes to face-to-face delivery across a range of presentations.
Online delivery is available to clients across New Zealand. Bilateral stimulation is delivered using auditory tones via headphones, self-administered butterfly tapping, or handheld pulsators. A stable internet connection and a private, quiet space are the primary requirements.
The EMDR Therapy Clinic is based in Auckland, New Zealand, with in-person appointments available in Milford, Ponsonby, and Parnell. Online appointments are available to clients across New Zealand via secure video platform.
All sessions are conducted by Dr JC Coetzee, PhD, a registered Clinical Psychologist and qualified EMDR Therapist with specialist training in EMDR Therapy and performance psychology. Dr Coetzee brings both the clinical depth required for complex presentations and the performance-specific understanding to work effectively in sport and professional performance contexts.
No referral is required to book an assessment at the EMDR Therapy Clinic. You are welcome to self-refer directly through the online booking portal. A referral from your GP or other health professional is not necessary, though relevant background information from other treating clinicians is always helpful where available.
Appointments can be booked directly through the online booking portal. An initial consultation is the recommended first step, allowing for a thorough assessment of your situation, clarification of whether EMDR SPORT is appropriate, and the development of a tailored treatment plan before processing begins.
If you are unsure whether EMDR SPORT is right for you, the initial consultation is the right place to start. There is no obligation to proceed with treatment following that session.
Still have
questions?
Book an initial consultation with Dr JC Coetzee to discuss your situation, goals, and whether EMDR SPORT is the right fit.