Posted on by Janel Wetzel

EMDR Therapy


What is EMDR?

Reflect back to the time when you fell off the monkey bars at 8-years-old and broke your arm. The shooting pain, rushing to the hospital, doctors consulting with your parents in the waiting room are ingrained in your memory. You remember feeling intense pain and fear which is why, as an adult, you are terrified of the hospital. The thought of stepping foot inside an emergency room brings you back to that childlike state at 8-years-old. Breaking out into a cold sweat, gripped with anxiety, and a shortness of breath are just a few of the symptoms that you experience when someone mentions the word “hospital.” This fear can be traced back to when you were just 8-years-old and broke your arm. You know you need to overcome this fear, but how? You’ve tried talk therapy for years, but it did not seem to help.

EMDR Therapy, also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is an intervention used to help individuals heal from symptoms or past traumas. Although falling off the monkey bars at 8-years-old can have a traumatic impact on a person, EMDR therapy can be a very effective tool at helping individuals overcome complex traumas such as abuse, neglect, assault, and much more.

With focusing on external stimulus such as bilateral eye movements, an individual is able to recall painful memories and process them. Because of this, clients are then able to replace the negative core beliefs associated with these memories to a more positive, empowering personal belief. Just like when a physical wound gets infected, a person can only heal so much if it is not properly cleaned. In relation to mental health, the negative feelings associated with a memory are like the infection. EMDR is the medicine that cleans it out so that the person can continue to emotionally grow! The ultimate goal of EMDR therapy is that clients conclude treatment feeling more empowered by the memories that once haunted them.

Does it Work?

Over 100,000 clinicians who use EMDR therapy worldwide agree it is a very effective intervention for treating trauma. There have been more than 30 studies done for research that measured the effectiveness of EMDR therapy. The results are astounding. One study found that after only three 90-minute sessions, 84-90% of individuals who experienced single-trauma incidents were no longer diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Another study found that 100% of single-trauma survivors and 77% of multiple-trauma survivors were no longer diagnosed with PTSD after only six 50-minute sessions.

Who is Eligible For EMDR?

You may be asking yourself, “Am I good fit for EMDR Therapy?” If you can answer the following questions positively, than most likely, EMDR therapy will be a great intervention for you.

Do you have healthy coping skills?

It is essential for clients participating in EMDR therapy to have a generous list of ways to manage anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, and other unwanted emotions. Being able to emotionally self-regulate will be necessary in your healing journey for any triggers that may arise outside of session. Your therapist will work with you during Phase 2 of treatment to help create a calm space and other grounding techniques, but it is important to come prepared. For a list of helpful tools to manage trauma triggers, check out this article to get a jumpstart.

Are you in a safe & stable home environment with a support system?

Healing from trauma can only happen when the client is no longer in an unsafe environment. There are no longer triggers present in the home that remind them of the trauma they are working through. Knowing one has a safe home to return to after sessions and has a reliable support system to turn to will aid in healing.

Will you be able to sit in the discomfort of the painful memories?

Part of the EMDR process is to stir up memories from the past we have worked so hard to avoid for all these years. Sitting in the discomfort and challenging oneself to tap into those emotions can be triggering; however, without this step, the healing process will not be effective. This is why establishing healthy coping skills and grounding techniques prior to engaging in EMDR therapy is so crucial.

Does your schedule allow for regular weekly sessions?

EMDR therapy is an 8-phase treatment approach, which means this intervention is comprehensive. It is important for clients to commit to the process and to their healing journey by attending weekly sessions, sometimes more frequently depending on therapist’s recommendations. Skipping sessions can interfere with the process and interrupt any growth or progress made.

In addition to the above prerequisites, EMDR therapy can be effective for a variety of conditions, including, but not limited to:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Complex trauma
  • Single-incident trauma
  • PTSD
  • Grief
  • Personality Disorders
  • Addictions
  • Fears & Phobias
  • Chronic Pain & Illness

Treatment Description

EMDR therapy focuses on three different time periods: the past, present, and future. The past is related to the disturbing memories; the present focuses on current distressing symptoms; and then developing positive core beliefs is aimed for future actions. These are broken down into an eight-phase treatment approach.

Phase 1: The EMDR therapist and client create a treatment plan and discuss potential memory targets that cause emotional distress.

Phase 2: The therapist will teach client grounding techniques and will also help the client create a “safe place,” which is used to handle emotional distress throughout the EMDR process.

Phase 3-6: During phases 3-6, the client chooses a positive cognition about self to replace the negative core belief. Periodically throughout these phases, body scans and emotional responses will be measured. Initially, the client is asked to focus on the memory, negative thought, and the body sensations while the therapist engages in bilateral stimulation. Once the client reports having zero emotional distress when visualizing the memory, the therapist will ask the client to switch their focus to the identified positive core belief.

Phase 7: This is the closing phase of the process. At this time, the therapist may chose to end the session with a grounding technique, such as guided imagery, meditation, or visiting the “safe place” established in Phase 2. The therapist will also ask the client to keep a log or a journal throughout the week to record any related material.

Phase 8: This phase is completed at the start of the next session. The therapist and client will explore whether or not the targeted memory is still causing emotional distress. If it is, then EMDR will continue starting at Phase 4. If the emotional distress is absent, then it is safe to continue onto the next traumatic memory.

EMDR therapy can be a great primary intervention; however, it can also be a great addition to talk therapy depending on the client’s personal needs. Check-in with your therapist to see what would be the best fit for your treatment plan.

For More Resources

EMDR Institute, INC. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/.