Something that happened
An accident, a loss, violence, war. One event, or a run of them that never quite settled.
More about thisA memory that was too big was never filed properly.
So a door slams and the whole file opens at full volume, as if it were today. That is not a matter of character. Put simply, the memory never took its place in the past — and EMDR can help it lose the pull that takes you back there.
I am Merima Pašalić. I work with EMDR in Sarajevo, with teenagers and adults, in person and online.
- MSc in Psychology
- certified EMDR supervisor
- Bosnian and English
Portrait — looking at the camera, daylight
Who I work with
You do not need a diagnosis to come
Most people who contact me have no label at all for what they live with. They have something that takes up room every day.
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Panic and fear
Panic attacks, phobias, and anxiety with a root you can point at.
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Teenagers, 13–18
I meet parents once, at the start. After that the room belongs to the young person — and so does the pace.
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Groups and workshops
Six weeks, six people at most. Stabilisation skills, not processing — a good place to start.
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What EMDR is
How does EMDR actually work?
Short answer
You hold part of a memory in mind while your attention moves rhythmically left and right — my hand, small pulses in your palms, or tones. Thirty seconds, then we stop, then I ask what came up. That divided attention lets the brain finish the processing it could not finish at the time.
The memory does not disappear, and it is not meant to. It stays yours. What changes is the charge — the way it pulls you back into a room you walked out of years ago.
It sounds too simple to work. It is also one of the most heavily tested trauma treatments there is: the World Health Organization recommends it for PTSD, in adults and in children.
What EMDR is not
- Not hypnosis
- You are awake throughout, and one word from you stops it.
- Not retelling
- You talk far less than you expect. You never have to say the details out loud.
- Not reliving it
- If you are reliving it, we went too fast — and stopping us is my job, not yours.
The first session
Nothing opens before you are ready
Most people expect to dive straight in. It is the other way round — the early sessions are entirely about being sure you can stop.
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free
A phone call
Twenty minutes. Mostly I listen, then I tell you honestly whether I am the right person for this.
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1–2 sessions
History and plan
We map what happened and the order we will work in. Nothing is processed yet.
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before processing
Preparation
Concrete ways back to steady — so stopping is always available to you, including mid-session.
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onwards together
Processing
Only then. And every session ends with a check-in and a return to the present — the aim is that you do not leave the room in the middle of something.
You do not have to tell me what happened. You only need to be able to bring it to mind.
The room — two chairs, from the doorway
About me
I came to EMDR because insight was not enough
People would arrive understanding their own history completely — every cause, every pattern, all of it named — and still not sleep. Understanding turned out to be the wrong missing piece.
Twelve years on, it still moves me to see a memory loosen its hold on someone. I work in Bosnian and English, from a room near Ferhadija, and online with people living abroad.
Alongside client work I supervise other EMDR therapists. For you that means something concrete: the method I use is one I teach and oversee in others, so my own work goes through the same scrutiny.
- MSc in Psychology, licensed in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Certified EMDR supervisor — I supervise other therapists working with EMDR
- EMDR Europe accredited practitioner
- Member of the EMDR Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Fees
No packages and no commitment
You can stop after any session. If you stop, I will help you find the next person.
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First call
- 20 minutes
- by phone
- no commitment
- free
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Individual session
- 50 minutes
- in person or online
- weekly at first
- 80 KM
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Teenagers, 13–18
- 50 minutes
- a parent call first
- 80 KM
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Group, six weeks
- 6 people at most
- next cycle in October
- 240 KM
Fees apply from January 2026. The group cycle is paid in full up front.
If I am not the right person
EMDR is not the answer to everything, and I am not the answer to everything within it. For these you get two specific names — not a link to a directory.
- Addiction and eating disorders
- Children under thirteen
- Active crisis, or needing a psychiatrist
- Couples and family therapy
Questions
What people ask me first
Do I have to tell you what happened?
No. You only need to be able to bring the memory to mind — you do not have to describe it. The most complete piece of work I have seen was done by someone who never once said the details out loud.
How many sessions does it take?
For a single recent event, usually six to twelve. For something long-running or from childhood, longer — and exactly how much longer I will tell you after the mapping sessions, rather than guessing now.
Is it safe for teenagers?
Yes, and with them it often goes faster. The protocol adapts to age, and parents are involved at the start and at points we agree together.
Does EMDR work over video?
It does — the bilateral stimulation adapts to a screen. You need a private room and a stable connection, and I will say so if I think in person is safer in your case.
Start with twenty minutes on the phone
No charge and no expectation that you continue. If I am not the right person, I will tell you and refer you to someone suitable.
I reply within two working days. Your message comes to me and is not passed to anyone else. This site does not track you.
In an emergency
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services where you are. In Bosnia and Herzegovina that is 124 or 112. This site is not a crisis service, and I do not check messages overnight.
- Address
- Ferhadija 00, 71000 Sarajevo
- Online
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, and elsewhere where regulations allow
- Languages
- Bosnian, English