What is EMDR?

Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro, EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR was initially created to reduce the distress and dysregulation related to ongoing trauma and PTSD symptoms.

EMDR is a therapy that understands trauma doesn’t mean you are broken or beyond repair. Instead, it means that painful experiences have been stored in the brain in a way that keeps you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unable to move forward. EMDR helps the brain reprocess these memories so they can be integrated more healthily.

With EMDR, many people find they can look back on the past without being consumed by it, remembering what happened without the same emotional or physical flooding. This allows space to feel calmer in the present, more empowered in daily life, and freer to make choices that reflect who you want to be moving forward.

Successful EMDR treatment can help people heal from trauma at a significantly faster rate than more conventional forms of talk therapy.

Phases of EMDR

  • 1. History & Treatment Planning

    Similar to traditional talk therapy, EMDR begins by gathering a client’s detailed history. The therapist and client will collaborate to develop a treatment plan based on client’s therapeutic goals. During treatment planning, there will be a selection of traumatic experiences that will be focused on for later phases in EMDR reprocessing.

  • 2. Preparation

    The client and therapist will discuss EMDR therapy, including explaining the process, defining EMDR related terms, and setting expectations. The therapist helps to equip the client with various resources to ensure the client has plenty of tools to cope with any distressing emotions that arise.

  • 3. Assessment

    During phase 3 of EMDR, the therapist and client determine the event (target) to reprocess. This phase assesses images, beliefs, feelings, and sensations related to the event. The client provides initial subjective self-reports of disturbance.

  • 4. Desensitization

    Phases 4-6 are considered the “reprocessing” phases, typically thought of when thinking about EMDR. During desensitization, the client starts bilateral stimulation (BLS) - side-to-side eye movements, sounds, or tapping, while focusing on the traumatic event. The client continues BLS until their reported disturbance level reaches 0 or 1, when appropriate. While desensitizing it is common for the client to report sensations, emotional experiences, new thoughts, etc. as they reprocess.

  • 5. Installation

    Once phase 4, desensitization, is complete, the client immediately begins phase 5, installation. In this phase, the client pairs a positive belief with the targeted event. They continue BLS while strengthening the belief until it feels completely true.

  • 6. Body Scan

    Once the positive belief has been strengthened, the client moves to phase 6, the body scan. During the body scan, the client is asked to think of the targeted event while scanning the body from head to toe. The client notes any places of tension, discomfort, pain. Any identified disturbance is reprocessed until the body is clear.

  • 7. Closure

    Phase 7 is used to close every session. Phase 7 involves the therapist assisting the client either via completed reprocessing or the use of coping resources to return to a calm or neutral state.

  • 8. Reevaluation

    Phase 8 is how each session following a reprocessing session begins. The therapist and client explore recently reprocessed memories to make sure the distress is still low and the positive belief is strong. This phase also allows for the client to report any insights or distress in between sessions. The next target is then determined and phases 3-8 repeat. Learn more about the phases of EMDR here.