10: The Smartest Doctor in the Room with Dean Mitchell, MD - Episode 1010: The Smartest Doctor in the Room with Dean Mitchell, MD - Episode 10
UK Health Radio Podcast
Dr Dean Mitchell talks with psychiatric nurse practitioner Susan Sullivan about EMDR, trauma, and why intensive, body‑aware therapy can shift long‑held patterns. The conversation blends science, clinical stories and practical tools for handling deep emotional wounds.
48:12•11 Aug 2026
EMDR, Trauma and Healing Faster: Susan Sullivan with Dr Dean Mitchell
Episode Overview
- EMDR is based on the brain’s adaptive information processing, using bilateral stimulation to help shift traumatic memories that are stuck.
- Susan Sullivan’s ICU and trauma‑unit background showed her the lack of emotional support in hospitals and pushed her toward psychiatric practice.
- She often uses EMDR intensives of two to three hours, finding this format can create deeper movement than standard weekly 50‑minute sessions.
- Preparation is crucial: she builds safety through attachment work, parts work, family systems assessment and vagus‑nerve calming techniques before touching major trauma.
- Therapy should respect protective parts rather than bulldozing them, so that healing does not re‑traumatise the person.
“"I learned so much about myself, and I just realised... it was a life changing experience for me, because I learned so much about myself."”
Gain insights from experts and survivors on how trauma therapy can change a life, as psychiatric nurse practitioner Susan Sullivan joins Dr Dean Mitchell to talk about EMDR and why it can reach places talk therapy sometimes misses. The chat has an easy, conversational feel – think curious doctor and seasoned therapist comparing notes rather than a dry lecture.
Susan shares how years in high‑intensity ICU and trauma units pushed her towards mental health, after realising that, back then, there was “no emotional support service” for people facing life‑altering injuries and loss. That frontline experience now shapes how she works with deep psychological wounds. Susan explains EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) in plain language, grounding it in Francine Shapiro’s adaptive information processing model.
You’ll hear how trauma memories sit in “associative memory networks” and how bilateral stimulation – eye movements, alternating sounds, or gentle tapping – helps the brain link emotion and thinking so that stuck memories can finally move.
She also talks through why EMDR intensives can be so effective: instead of months or years of weekly sessions, she often works in two‑to‑three‑hour blocks, combining EMDR with attachment work, family systems thinking, parts work, somatic approaches, yoga, breathing exercises, vagus‑nerve calming techniques and even essential oils. This mix gives people more tools and a stronger sense of safety before touching the hardest material.
A powerful story about a man with extreme blood pressure and childhood trauma highlights how the body can carry old experiences for decades, and why going too fast in therapy can do harm. Susan stresses careful assessment, respect for protective parts, and building trust first. Anyone interested in trauma, anxiety, PTSD, or why they still feel stuck after years of talking things through will find this conversation honest, practical and quietly hopeful.
Could a different style of therapy be the missing piece in your healing puzzle?
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