Effective evidence-based therapy for processing traumatic events and healing yourself on a neurological level.
EMDR is one of the most effective evidence-based treatments available for processing traumatic events and healing yourself on a neurological level. Unlike other forms of therapy, you won’t have to relive those painful experiences in session.
Following EMDR therapy, clients often describe their healed memories as events that no longer hold power over their lives. While the past remains a part of your story, it’ll no longer define who you are. The negative self-talk will fade into the background as you discover inner peace.
EMDR therapy, also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing works by providing side-to-side stimulation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. This stimulation engages and encourages integration of feeling and thinking, verbal and non-verbal material. During this therapy, the effect is similar to REM sleep where we process the events of the day and other thoughts.
Francine Shapiro, Ph.D developed eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy in 1987. Multiple studies over many years indicate EMDR’s effectiveness in helping people recover from a variety of traumatic experiences.
EMDR is a scienftific method that identifies and treats unhealed psychological wounds caused by bad memories.
Using gentle guided methods, the EMDR therapist helps you integrate your painful emotions with your rational mind.
EMDR helps you to put painful memories firmly in the past and move forward with new insights and perspectives.
A prolonged war finally destroys the victors too.
You struggle to concentrate at work. Friends catch you zoning out when they’re talking to you. Any moment you have to yourself, you get sucked into your phone.
The horrors of the world and the outrage of social media come for you at night. You end up lying awake, catastrophizing every terrible scenario that might come to pass. Then you wake up the next day to drift through the same hazy nightmare.
It’s time you finally admit it. The painful experiences you went through shifted the way you experience the world. They’ve never fully healed. If you take a second to think about it, you’ll realise that these events are colouring every one of your relationships.
The past affects the present even without our being aware of it.
You're living like you're still in danger. Put your pain in the past – where it belongs.
At one time or another, we’ve heard ourselves say, “It feels like it just happened yesterday”. This feeling may indicate that a memory has been stored “dysfunctional”, that is to say, the memory has not been properly integrated. For illustrative purposes, to integrate a memory, an individual must process the information using both the right and left hemispheres of the brain. In trauma, often the traumatic event is stored in the right side of the brain with no concept of time or history.
For integration to take place, new neural pathways must be developed. This happens when the two sides of the brain are in contact with each other, when emotion and reason connect together.
After a traumatic experience, many people develop beliefs that are untrue about themselves and the world. EMDR therapy helps people gain clarity about what they could or could not do about a traumatic situation they may have been in and where they are now. The experience creates pathways to new perspectives and reality.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a specialised conversation that provides a way to reprocess information. A specific protocol of questions is asked to enable a person to integrate what has happened to them. Similar to watching the scenes of a movie, the therapist asks the client to bring to mind an incident (remembering the images, sounds, impressions and other sensations), the negative thinking caused by the incident, and the new thoughts or beliefs the client would like to have.
The therapist then utilises bilateral stimulation, either by moving fingers, lights or hold little vibrating buttons that gently vibrate in each hand. After a short time, therapists make connections with clients and the clients generally think and feel differently about the incident, similar incidents, and themselves. Healing has begun.
To realize one's personal legend is one's only true obligation.
I’m Pauli Olivier.
After completing my Master’s in Clinical Social Work in 1998, I soon realised that I had a passion for working with trauma. My journey began at the South African Police Service and later as a lecturer at two universities, experiences that deepened my understanding of resilience and recovery. Today, as a trained and accredited EMDR therapist, I combine clinical expertise with genuine compassion to support each client’s healing and growth.
I work with people experiencing trauma-related challenges such as anxiety and stress. In our first sessions, we gently identify the experiences that continue to affect you and create a tailored EMDR plan. Many clients notice relief after just a few sessions, especially with recent trauma, while more complex histories may take longer—but every step forward is meaningful.
I have extensive training and experience in areas many would perceive as “taboo”. I am completely non-judgemental, unpretentious and absolutely dedicated to helping you rid yourself of unhelpful beliefs and self-destructive thought processes.
I believe therapy should feel real, human, and supportive—not stiff or impersonal. I show up authentically and create a safe space where nothing is off-limits. If it feels right, I may share parts of my own story, because I know how powerful it is to feel truly understood. You’ll be free to bring all of yourself—the messy, uncomfortable, or unspoken parts too—and I’ll be there to listen, validate, and gently encourage you at a pace that feels right.
My approach is holistic, weaving together EMDR with mindfulness, breathwork, and visualization. I believe healing happens when both mind and body are engaged, helping you feel more grounded, whole, and connected.
When I’m not in the office
Growing up inland, I’ve always loved escaping to the beach—it’s where I feel most at peace. At home, I’m a proud mom of two young adults (yes, I think they’re amazing!) and have been married for 35 years, which has given me a deep understanding of both the joys and the turbulence relationships can bring. I also treasure evenings with friends, especially gathered around a good South African braai.
Gain immediate tools to calm anxiety, regulate emotions, and identify trauma triggers.
Using gentle, guided EMDR techniques, you'll safely release painful memories without reliving intense emotions.
Integrate new emotional patterns, build resilience, and reclaim your life with renewed peace and confidence.
In our individual sessions, we’ll work together to create a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs and goals. Speaking with someone objective—and trained to understand your psychology and past—can help you gain insight into yourself, your relationships, and the kind of life you want to build.
Through therapy, you’ll develop coping strategies for challenging work or relationship situations, find clarity about your future, reduce negative self-talk, and begin to release the weight of past family and relationship trauma.
Whether you’re stepping into a promising new relationship or trying to navigate lingering trust issues from the past, relationship therapy provides guidance and support. We’ll explore patterns from previous relationships, help you build healthier dynamics, and give you the tools to nurture a loving, secure connection. Even if your current relationship is wonderful, therapy can help ensure it thrives—and that old wounds don’t interfere.
Trauma can leave us feeling emotionally reactive, insecure, or afraid, often without a clear reason. You might benefit from trauma therapy if you:
Many clients seek trauma therapy for PTSD stemming from a challenging upbringing, a parent struggling with addiction or mental illness, or past abuse—emotional or physical. Early experiences may have taught you that expressing feelings is unsafe or futile, leaving you lonely, ashamed, or disconnected.
The good news is that trauma therapy, including EMDR, can help you break free from PTSD symptoms, functional freeze, and other lingering effects of past trauma. With the right support, you can move from survival mode to living fully, confidently, and with a sense of peace.
Psychotherapy creates a safe, supportive space where you can explore thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that may be causing distress. With the guidance of a trained professional, you gain new perspectives, build healthier coping skills, and learn to shift patterns that no longer serve you—leading to greater clarity and well-being.
A therapist’s role is to walk alongside you in your healing journey. I provide a space of trust and compassion, using evidence-based approaches to help you understand and change unhelpful thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Together, we’ll build strategies for coping with challenges such as stress, anxiety, trauma, or relationship struggles.
Let’s start by shifting the language. Therapy isn’t about “fixing” you—because you’re not broken. It’s about helping you understand and embrace all the parts of yourself, even the ones that feel messy or hard to accept.
Therapy isn’t magic, but it can create small, powerful moments that gradually lead to big shifts in how you see yourself and your life. With the right support and your own willingness to grow, therapy becomes a space for acceptance, honesty, and change.
Often, clients arrive hoping to be “fixed.” But every part of you has played an important role in helping you survive and get to this point. Therapy takes a closer look at these parts—how they sometimes work together and sometimes against one another—and helps bring them into balance. The aim is for your core self, the calm and cantered part of you, to step forward and lead with clarity and courage.
Most sessions last 90 minutes, though, often they can be up to two hours. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR goes beyond conversation—we actively work on reprocessing trauma so you can experience real relief and change.
R700 per hour, R1050 for 90 minutes, R1400 for two hours.
I operate a cash-based practice, but I’m registered with most medical aids. After each session, I provide an invoice you can submit to your medical aid for possible reimbursement.
Yes—most medical aids cover mental health under the Prescribed Minimum Benefits (PMB) act, even on basic plans. I’ll provide you with an invoice to help you claim.
To ensure reimbursement, it’s helpful to:
I accept debit/credit cards and cash.
You can call, WhatsApp, email, or fill out the contact form to book a free 15-minute consultation. This is a chance for you to share what brings you to therapy, ask any questions, and see if we’re a good fit. If it feels right, we’ll set up your first session together.
Yes. I am licensed as a Social Worker/Psychotherapist with:
Before starting therapy, I offer a free 15-minute intro call. During this time, I’ll ask about what brings you to therapy, share my approach, and answer your questions. We’ll also cover rates, availability, and medical aid options. This way, you’ll know if working together feels like the right step for you.
I heard about Pauli doing EMDR therapy for trauma. I was hijacked in Kamvelihle in Gqeberha. I thought I was ok and the incident hadn’t affected me. I was wrong. Within a few days I needed help. I googled EMDR to see what it was about. Pauli did an excellent job with my therapy sessions. Those triggers are no longer triggers for me. I benefitted so much that my wife also decided to go for therapy.
….Many sessions later, ridden from the emotional burdens that haunted me, I am light. Purged by a life-time of weight which random people shackled to my shoulders, head and heart. I can say that the dirt of guilt, shame and self-blame that has been stuck to my body ever since my childhood, has finally been purged. For the first time since I officially hit adulthood, I can say that I have let something shapeless go. Pauli helped me prepare for the reprocessing of my Traumatic Events, before moving onto the EMDR treatment stage. She is kind and gentle in all her interactions and makes me feel comfortable and at ease when discussing my experiences throughout my life stages (as toddler, child, teenager, young adult and adult…..
… Pauli’s bubbly personality really made me feel at ease from the first session. She really makes you feel seen and is able to hold space in the difficult processing moments. Despite the extreme rawness when processing trauma, Pauli has the ability to really handle each session with much care and sensitivity. Initially I felt quite drained after processing trauma from many years ago, but the processing of more recent events, were much easier and needed less recovery time. I would strongly recommend people to consider EMDR as a trauma processing treatment option and to address it rather sooner than later.
EMDR is the best type of therapy I could have found for myself. It has allowed me to become a big sister to my inner child. Also helping me to understand myself on a much deeper level and therefore, build a healthy relationship with myself. Pauli truly is an unforgettable and vibrant soul. She is the reason I feel safe to fully experience and process my emotions.
… Yet for the first time in my life I have felt a change in my thought patterns. No matter the intensity of the session, I walk away lighter every time. Pauli is an incredible therapist. I am a very private person, don’t share my issues with others and really battle to ask for help and I have major trust issues. Pauli makes you feel heard, validated and really works with YOUR personality and thought patterns. She is empathetic and genuine and yet calls you out on your “BS”….
….That is, someone deeply sincere, who can also guide with the requisite wisdom and compassion, because they have walked this path in their own life, and with others many times. Pauli Olivier is one such friend, a guide I wish I’d met in my formative years, but whose guidance I gratefully encountered when I needed it the most. Through her immense kindness and insight, and via means of EMDR, Pauli not only helped me to begin the journey toward healing but also equipped me with the skills to continue the journey on my own, toward a life worth choosing – which I never thought possible but which I now experience as a growing reality….
Ready to create a relationship and life that you love?
Start with You. Take the first step today.
I welcome all, including sexual orientation, age, race, disability, ethnicity/national origin, gender identity, and religious/spiritual affiliation.
17 Nobbs Road, Summerstrand
Mon - Fri (9:00-16:00) Available for after hours consultations if need be.
info@pauliolivier.co.za
072 408 0770
