EMDR Therapy

The first phase typically takes one or two sessions. Your therapist will gather information about your concerns and goals for therapy. You don't need to share detailed trauma information at this stage—just enough for your therapist to understand how they can best support you. This phase also involves discussing what to expect from EMDR and creating a treatment plan.

This phase focuses on building a strong, trusting therapeutic relationship. Your therapist will help you develop coping mechanisms for managing negative emotions during EMDR, such as grounding techniques or specific breathing exercises. This phase prepares you for the more intense work ahead.

During the assessment phase, you and your therapist will identify the target memory you wish to focus on. It’s important to note that you do not need to be able to vividly visualize the traumatic memory or event to participate in EMDR. While some individuals may struggle to bring up a clear image of the trauma, EMDR can still be effective. What is essential is identifying the negative core belief associated with the trauma (e.g., "I am bad," "I am unsafe"), as well as the emotion and body sensation that arise when you think about it. These elements are key to the reprocessing work in EMDR. Your therapist will guide you in focusing on these aspects of the memory, allowing the therapy to proceed effectively even if you cannot visualize the specific images of the trauma itself.

In this phase, your therapist will guide you through bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones) while you focus on the traumatic memory and the negative emotions associated with it. The goal is to reduce the emotional charge tied to the memory. By repeatedly engaging in bilateral stimulation while recalling the traumatic event, your brain is able to process the experience in a way that decreases its emotional intensity. Over time, you should feel less distressed or triggered by the memory, and it will become easier to think about the experience without feeling overwhelmed or stuck in intense emotions.

Once the emotional intensity of the trauma is reduced, we focus on installing positive beliefs to replace the negative beliefs you’ve been carrying (e.g., replacing "I am unsafe" with "I am safe" or "I am powerless" with "I am in control"). In this phase, bilateral stimulation is again used to help you integrate these new, positive beliefs into your mind and body. The goal is to make the positive belief feel more natural and authentic, so it becomes the new, dominant thought when you recall the traumatic memory or similar situations. This helps shift your overall mindset and emotional responses in a more adaptive direction.

Once the positive belief has been installed, your therapist will guide you through a body scan while you bring the traumatic memory to mind again. This step is important because trauma often gets stored in the body as well as the mind, and there may still be physical tension or discomfort associated with the memory. By scanning your body and identifying any areas of tension or negative physical sensations, your therapist can use bilateral stimulation to help release these physical responses. The goal is to ensure that the body is no longer holding onto any of the negative emotions or memories connected to the trauma. If any tension or discomfort remains, the process will continue until these physical reactions dissipate.

At the end of each session, your therapist will guide you through a process of closure to ensure that you leave the session feeling grounded and centered. This is crucial, as processing traumatic material can leave you feeling emotionally vulnerable. During closure, your therapist will remind you of the coping techniques you’ve learned in Phase 2 (such as container and calm place) to help you manage any emotions that may arise. These tools are designed to support you between sessions and maintain emotional stability as you move forward. You’ll leave the session feeling calmer, with the reassurance that you’re prepared to handle any emotional material that might come up during the week.

Each new EMDR session begins with a reevaluation of your progress. Your therapist will check in with you to understand how you’ve been feeling since the last session, if any new memories or emotions have surfaced, and whether any of the work you’ve done so far needs to be revisited. This phase ensures that you’re continuing to make progress toward your treatment goals. If there are any unresolved issues, your therapist will assess whether further processing is needed to complete that memory or emotion. Reevaluation allows you and your therapist to adjust the course of treatment as needed and ensures that you’re moving forward in a way that feels safe and productive.