EMDR therapy structure consists of eight phases. Together, you and I will go through these phases at your pace to nurture and build our therapeutic relationship, gather your personal history and understand your current struggles (whether it's traumatic experiences, phobias, anxieties, etc.), build and develop your internal resources, and understand and assess any negative self-beliefs associated with the traumatic memory/memories (such as, “I’m not in control,” or, “I’m unlovable”) and identify healthier, more adaptive, and positive beliefs (such as, “I’m loveable,” “I am safe”) to replace them with.
Additionally, a significant piece of EMDR therapy is also processing and addressing current fears, anxieties, and triggers, as well as processing and addressing future concerns (any anticipatory anxiety, etc.), so that there is healing focused on your past, present, and future.
The most important and unique element of EMDR therapy is bilateral stimulation (or "BLS"). BLS involves back and forth eye movements, listening to alternating tones, and/or feeling alternating taps or vibrations in your hands, all while focusing on your traumatic or distressing experience. This process enables the brain to resolve emotional trauma and gain insight into the circumstance in a way that is often more effective than traditional talk therapy alone. Your brain has a natural adaptive ability to heal, and EMDR supports this ability. It's extremely nerdy and cool stuff!
The number of sessions required for this form of therapy treatment varies depending on the concerns being addressed.
If there is a single traumatic incident that is the subject of the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, then it can typically be resolved in five or six sessions, including the intake and preparation. However, for multiple and/or complex traumas or a long history of past abuse, trauma, or neglect, this type of therapy can take considerably longer for resolution of the issues. There is never a specific, locked timeframe in which EMDR must be completed. It will always be paced at your level of comfortability, because your sense of safety and empowerment is a cornerstone of healing and recovering.
The amazing thing about EMDR treatment is that the resolution tends to be more thorough and long standing than other forms of therapy as we can address the root of the problem, any current triggers associated with the problem, and we also will work on future scenarios that may be creating anticipatory anxiety.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy is used with children, teens, and adults for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment, depression treatment, anxiety counseling, grief counseling, dependence counseling, work through painful emotions, and so much more.
If at any point before or during your EMDR treatment you are experiencing high levels of external stress (such as a job loss, bereavement, moving, etc.), or there is a crisis occurring, it is recommended for EMDR treatment to pause until the stressors have been resolved or reduced.
Yes, EMDR therapy can absolutely be done virtually. This is up to personal preference. While some people prefer to do EMDR therapy in person for a variety of reasons, some may find virtual EMDR therapy preferable because they are already in their familiar, comfortable space and have more ability to rest before and after a session. It is recommended that if you do EMDR therapy virtually to be in a quiet, confidential space with access to a full screen (laptop, desktop) that will not limit or hinder the techniques used.
When looking for an EMDR therapist, it’s essential to choose a professional who is trained and certified by the EMDR Internation Association (EMDRIA). Certification ensures that your therapist has completed required, comprehensive training, adheres to the ethical standards in EMDR therapy, and engages in continuous learning to continue developing their skills. This offers reassurance that you are in the care of a qualified, competent professional. Always verify your therapist’s credentials to ensure your best possible care. If you are curious to learn more about the international community of formally trained and certified EMDR clinicians, I highly recommend visiting EMDRIA’s website.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a powerful approach to working with trauma, as well as anxiety, depression, phobias, and many other mental health conditions that often feel stuck, no matter how much work you’ve done to resolve them. EMDR therapy works by connecting your body and mind’s experiences with unprocessed memories and traumas (called “targets”) that were stored incorrectly. When a traumatic event occurs, your body and mind lock that memory in a traumatized state, and the sensations, emotions, beliefs, and thoughts attached to that memory remain unprocessed and easily activated. This therapy technique is a well-researched and established therapy that combines imagery, mindfulness, and cognitive techniques to meet your treatment needs and goals and ideally creates long-lasting, soothing, healing effects.
Trauma-informed therapy is one where your therapist creates a nurturing, mindful space where you can explore your feelings, memories, and reactions, especially those related to trauma, in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. We will work together to help you feel grounded, empowered, and connected to your inner resources as we navigate through the challenges and limitations that trauma has brought into your life.
There are many myths about EMDR therapy, and the duration of treatment is often one of those misunderstandings. The length of time to go through the eight phases of EMDR varies. In rare cases, you could potentially get through the eight phases from start to finish in just a few sessions for one target (AKA a memory, experience, incident).
It is recommended to spend time initially in the therapy experience making sure you feel comfortable with your therapist and making sure they understand your history, needs, and goals for treatment.
For each target, it can vary for the length of time processing. Sometimes it takes several sessions to process a target and sometimes it only takes one session before we can move on to the next target.
Your therapist will be teaching you coping skills during the early phases of treatment. These coping skills are aiming to develop and strengthen your internal and external resources of soothing and support so that when triggers arise, you feel far more equipped to tolerate and handle them. Some internal resources include self-soothing skills (such as “container” or “calm/safe place”) and understanding your window of tolerance, and some external skills to support are healthy relationships that foster connection and belonging, hobbies and joyful activities, and pursuits of purpose and meaning. If you practice your coping skills in between sessions, it will increase your ability to process through the targets most effectively, expediting the treatment.
EMDR does involve some talk therapy, and this varies per client. The time spent listening to your personal history and getting to know you, as well as building the therapeutic relationship, is very important. Even after we have begun the processing of memories, some clients like to have two or three sessions that are focused on EMDR therapy and then spend a session just wanting to talk, connect, and verbally process.
You are encouraged to work with your therapist to determine the pace that is most comfortable for you, both in the session and in the course of treatment overall. Each client is unique, and therefore each approach is unique.
In addition, during the sessions and exercises, your therapist will check in with you every minute or so and there will be a brief check-in exchange. The EMDR therapist is working to create a feeling of safety and grounding so that you can have the best EMDR processing experience.
EMDR was initially approved to treat trauma in wartime veterans, however since the early days of its development, it has been effectively used to treat anxiety, phobias, depression, grief, addictions, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and more.
EMDR therapists are trained to screen clients to make sure they have good coping skills prior to beginning EMDR, and, if necessary, teach you more coping skills to help you understand, identify, and manage the symptoms of PTSD prior to beginning EMDR.
Sometimes EMDR therapy can be upsetting when you are thinking about painful memories and long-held beliefs in the processing, but your therapist is right there with you, helping you to feel safe, helping you to regulate your emotions, and helping you to reorient to your coping skills prior to leaving the session.
As the saying goes, “the only way out, is often through” the memory. Your therapist is there to help you through the tough stuff and to help you strengthen the insights you have gained.
EMDR won’t cause memory loss, but the memory will not hold the same negative charge that it used to hold for you prior to the successful processing. You will have more adaptive emotions, beliefs, and thoughts around the memory and it will no longer trigger unpleasant feelings or unwanted behaviors and reactions.
No, EMDR therapy is not hypnosis. While there are back-and-forth eye movements (or taps, or sounds) with bilateral stimulation that look like the movements in hypnosis (like an object being pendulum swung back and forth in front of your eyes), they serve different purposes. In hypnosis, the use among clinical practitioners is to create an altered state of relaxation for the client, as well as a decrease in the client’s generalized reality orientation (“GRO”), which is utilized to promote an increase in fantasy and imagination. Lastly, hypnosis is used by therapists to help a client develop a single, focused state of openness to arousal (emotional, sensational, etc.).
In contrast, EMDR therapy’s focus is to deliberately attempt to connect with the anxious mental state (so, in other words, focused on emotional disturbance rather than relaxed), while maintaining focus on both a negative self-belief and working toward a positive self-belief. And, rather than trying to encourage a client beyond their GRO, EMDR attempts are made towards repeatedly grounding clients by referring to present moment elements (sensations, feelings, etc.) that prevent the client from drifting away from reality (or even dissociating).