SEYMORTIER,W, Mentaal vrij spelen: Hoe EMDR je helpt los te laten en beter te presteren op de golfbaan, Nationaal golfmagazine, Rodi Media bv, NO 5, mei 2025, p.15
Wiebeke Seymortier
Founder of The Golf Brain Coach, licensed clinical psychologist & certified golf mental performance coach.
Wiebeke helps you to tackle nerves and anxiety on the fairways and the greens, train and rewire your brain to play calm and confident golf.
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Not everything that affects your golf game is visible. Missed opportunities, painful mistakes, or embarrassing moments can unknowingly settle into your system. This mental luggage often doesn’t disappear on its own, no matter how intensively you train. Past experiences can subconsciously affect your performance – and this is where EMDR comes into play.
EMDR is not a miracle cure, but it can be a game-changer. It offers a mental reset. Not by training harder, but by letting go of what is holding you back.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) was developed in the 1980s as a therapeutic method for treating psychological trauma. The method is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is commonly known as “the therapy with eye movements.” Originally, it was primarily applied within clinical psychology and psychotherapy, but it has now found its way into the world of sports. More and more athletes, including golfers, use the method to overcome blockages and facilitate peak performance. This applies not only to professional golfers but also to recreational golfers of all ages who want to grow mentally.
Every sport has a mental component, but in golf, it is almost as important as the technique. If your mind is not in the right place, it inevitably affects your swing – sometimes with significant consequences. One bad shot can trigger a chain reaction. However, some experiences leave their marks: invisible to the outside world, but still felt as tension, fear, or blockages during the game. You notice this through physical reactions, negative thoughts, or avoidance behavior. Sometimes you’re aware of this, but often it happens in the background.
Think of suddenly losing your swing during a competition, missing a victory due to a mistake on the last hole, criticism from a coach or playing partner, or an injury that’s already healed but still leaves doubt or fear. Then there are the scary yips or Lost Movement Syndrome, where your body suddenly refuses to do what your mind wants. Your hands begin to uncontrollably shake or your movement blocks without any clear physical or neurological cause.
All these issues undermine your confidence on the golf course. The good news is that they can be addressed with EMDR. Blockages, negative thoughts, and/or tensions can disappear, and your confidence in your game can finally return. Many golfers try to solve these challenges with extra training, swing analysis, or mental tricks. These may offer temporary relief, but rarely address the underlying cause. EMDR does – and this is where the lasting power of this approach lies.
What sets EMDR apart from traditional mental training is the focus on the core of the problem. It’s not about symptom management, but processing the experience itself, including the limiting beliefs and physical sensations that arose from it. By stimulating the brain with bilateral stimuli (such as eye movements, taps, or sounds), new connections are formed in the brain, leading to a more balanced response to triggers that previously took you out of your game.
The effects are often profound and noticeable:
While mental tools remain valuable, they often don’t address the root cause if deep-seated blockages are in the way. EMDR clears mental knots so that other techniques can work more effectively afterward. So, EMDR isn’t a replacement for mental training or coaching, but a powerful addition and a way to work on your peak performance.
Not every golfer needs EMDR, but for many, it can be a breakthrough. The method is particularly suitable for:
EMDR works best when there is a clear, conscious memory of when the problem began. However, if this isn’t clear, no worries! A session always starts with a thorough exploration of your mental blockages, relevant experiences, and triggers – both on and off the golf course. The insights gained here form the foundation for the actual EMDR sessions.
During the sessions, you’ll work, guided by an EMDR Europe certified EMDR Practitioner, to recall and process specific memories, along with the associated thoughts and feelings. While doing this, bilateral stimulation is applied, which helps the brain process the negative experience. In bilateral stimulation, both sides of the body are alternately stimulated, for example by following a moving light, feeling taps on your hands, or hearing alternating sounds.
Sessions can take place:
EMDR is not a quick trick nor a guarantee of a lower handicap. What it does offer is space: in your mind, in your body, and ultimately in your game. Many golfers find that after completing a session, not only do they perform better, but they also experience more peace, enjoyment, and relaxation on the course.
Sometimes letting go is the hardest thing, but also the most valuable.
EMDR is often used to process negative experiences, but it is also a powerful tool for mental strengthening. During sessions, you can also work with positive memories, helpful beliefs, or future images in which you perform optimally. By consciously linking them to bilateral stimulation, these are more deeply anchored in your brain. In this way, EMDR not only becomes a method for clearing blockages, but also a way to mentally connect with your strongest, most confident self – both as a golfer and as a person.
Golf requires primarily a free mind. When old tensions or limiting beliefs disappear, there is space for natural movement, flow, and confidence. EMDR helps you not only let go of mental baggage but also to play with renewed calm and sharpness. The result? You stand firmer on the tee, play lighter, and enjoy the game more. Because ultimately, that’s what it’s all about: playing your best golf with joy, freedom, and confidence.
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