Depression can feel like walking through heavy mud with no clear shore in sight. Even everyday tasks that once felt simple can start to seem impossibly far away. In my somatic and EMDR-informed work in Weybridge, we don’t try to yank you out of that state with willpower or pressure. Instead, we invite movement back gradually, in ways your nervous system can tolerate and keep. The focus is on tiny, repeatable shifts that slowly make life more liveable, rather than dramatic bursts that fade.
We begin by finding what is still reachable, even on the greyest days. That might be a breath that can lengthen just a fraction, eyes that can soften and take in a little more of the room, or feet that can feel a hint of support from the floor. These small cues are not trivial; they are bridges when motivation is low and energy feels almost absent. In session we gently experiment with them, without any demand for enthusiasm or big effort. The priority is something your body can actually do, not what you “should” be able to manage.
As we work, somatic awareness helps us notice how your system has been trying to protect you by going quiet, shutting down, or numbing out. For many people, this slowing and flattening began as a survival strategy: a way to cope with too much demand, too much pain, or too much aloneness. Instead of treating your lack of energy as laziness or failure, we treat it as a form of wisdom that simply doesn’t have many options yet.
Together we get curious about when this protective quiet appears: certain times of day, particular places, specific kinds of conversations or tasks. We pay attention to how your body signals, “This is too much” – perhaps by making you sleepy, foggy, disconnected or uninterested. Rather than dragging you through those moments, we experiment with kinder alternatives: reducing internal pressure, adding small pieces of support, or creating brief pockets of safety so being more present doesn’t automatically mean being overwhelmed.
Once we have some basic steadiness in place, EMDR can help process the experiences that dimmed your sense of warmth and possibility in the first place. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) uses gentle left-right stimulation – through eye movements, taps or alternating sounds – to support your brain and body in updating stuck experiences.
In depression-focused EMDR in Weybridge, we might touch on:
losses that were never fully grieved
shaming moments that still echo in your self-talk
long stretches of criticism, neglect or emotional absence
beliefs that formed quietly over time, such as “nothing will ever really change,” “I am too much,” or “I don’t matter”
We approach this work slowly and respectfully. Rounds of bilateral stimulation are short and always anchored in the present room. We pause often to check how you’re feeling and to make sure your system stays within its window of tolerance. The aim is not to relive everything, but to help your nervous system loosen its grip on painful meanings that keep pulling mood down.
Between sessions, we focus on tiny structures you can realistically keep, even when energy is low. We look for ways to gently reintroduce contact with life without overwhelming you. Examples might include:
Sunlight moments – a minute or two by a window, a short step outside, or simply noticing natural light in the room as part of your day
Gentle movement – not a full workout plan, but a small circuit around the room, a stretch while the kettle boils, or a slow walk to the end of the road and back
Evening wind-down – a two-minute sequence that signals to your system that the day is closing: perhaps turning down one light, lengthening a few breaths, and consciously telling yourself, “For today, it’s enough”
These steps are deliberately modest. Depression often tells you that if you can’t do everything, there’s no point doing anything. We work against that all-or-nothing trap by choosing actions that are so small they’re genuinely doable – and then honouring them as real movement. Over time, your nervous system learns that change does not have to come with pressure, and that the tiniest shift is still a shift.
As this process unfolds, people often notice subtle but important differences: mornings that feel a touch less heavy, slightly more capacity to reply to a message, a bit more curiosity about the day ahead, a softening of the harsh inner voice that narrates everything as pointless. The treacle feeling may not vanish overnight, but it begins to thin. Where there was only stuckness, there are now small routes forward.
If you’re in or near Weybridge and living with depression that makes life feel slow, flat or impossibly heavy, you don’t have to try to solve it alone or force yourself to “snap out of it.” If this gentle, body-aware and EMDR-informed way of working sounds like it might suit you, you’re welcome to reach out for an initial conversation.
You can find contact details here:
👉 https://www.cherie-james.com/contact
In your message, you’re free to say as much or as little as you like about where you are now. Together we can explore whether this slow, kind, capacity-led approach to depression support in Weybridge might be a good fit for you.
FAQ
Q1. How can EMDR help when life feels flat?
We meet heaviness kindly, process stuck moments and rebuild tiny routines that coax energy back safely.
Q2. What if I struggle to get started?
We go gently—short sessions of contact, then rest. Your consent and pace lead the work.
Q3. Is remote work an option on low‑energy days?
Yes. Online sessions can reduce friction while keeping care steady.