What is EMDR?
Understanding EMDR Therapy: A Pathway to Healing
As an EMDR therapist, one of the most common questions I hear is, “What is EMDR anyway?” Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful, evidence-based approach that helps people heal from the emotional distress and symptoms caused by traumatic memories and difficult life experiences.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s a structured therapy that encourages the client to briefly focus on a troubling memory and it’s associated beliefs about themselves while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements, tapping, or sounds). This process allows the brain to begin to sort these memories into more adaptive neural networks and to decrease the troublesome emotions, beliefs and symptoms associated with the memory.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn’t require clients to extensively discuss their trauma. Instead, it taps into the brain’s natural healing processes — much like how the body works to heal a physical wound. EMDR helps the mind "unstick" from painful memories and move toward a place of resolution and resilience.
Who Can Benefit from EMDR?
While EMDR was initially developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), research has shown it can be highly effective for a range of issues, including:
Trauma and PTSD
Anxiety and panic disorders
Phobias
Grief and loss
Childhood abuse or neglect
Chronic pain
Low self-esteem and negative self-beliefs
If you’ve ever felt "stuck" — as though old memories or emotions are holding you back — EMDR may help you break free and move forward.
What Does an EMDR Session Look Like?
During EMDR, we work together to identify a specific memory or issue that’s causing distress and how this has impacted the way you view the world, others, and yourself. We will create what is called a “target treatment plan” to identify our goals for processing. We like to always develop positive coping skills and self-regulation before beginning processing, this could take a session or two for some and several sessions for others.
When we are ready to start processing I’ll guide you through sets of bilateral stimulation while focusing on the memory and belief we identified through treatment planning. This can be done with free association to let your mind freely go where it wants, or can be more targeted where we will stay with a specific memory, belief or feeling you have. This is often dependent on your level of comfort and the memory we are working with. You are always in control during the session, and your well-being and sense of safety are our top priority.
EMDR is an eight-phase, structured approach that includes preparation, assessment, reprocessing, and integration. We move at your pace, and you don’t have to face anything you’re not ready for.
Why I Love Practicing EMDR
One of the most rewarding parts of being an EMDR therapist is witnessing the transformations my clients experience. EMDR can create profound shifts — not just relief from symptoms, but a reclaiming of hope, empowerment, and a renewed sense of self. Healing is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone.
This has been a useful tool helping clients that have been very stuck or particpated in therapy for years without as much growth as they would like. I also love that it requires less verbal processing, so can be useful even when we may not be able to put our memories or feelings into words or for those that express themselves in ways that aren’t verbal.
While it is a very structured approach, it is highly personalized and we can creatively approach any barriers that may come up during therapy.
For more information I recommend exploring the following websites: