What EMDR Sessions Look Like:

EMDR is a structed yet flexible process designed to help individuals safely process and heal. The therapist work collaboratively with the client, ensuring that the process feels safe, empowering, and paced according to the client’s needs.

Preparation and Safety:

At the start of EMDR therapy, the therapist focuses on building trust and ensuring the client feels grounded and supported. This includes teaching coping skills like mindfulness, relaxation techniques, or grounding exercises to help the client manage any distress that may arise during the process. The therapist will also help the client identify a “safe space” they can return to mentally if needed during the session.

Identifying Memories:

Once the client feels ready, the therapist helps them identify a specific memory, belief, or experience to focus on during the session. This might include a traumatic events, a negative self-perception linked to trauma, or a physical sensation tied to distressing emotions.

Bilateral Stimulation:

The core of EMDR involves bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones. While engaging in this, the client is encouraged to recall aspects of the traumatic memory, including images, emotions, sensations, or thoughts. This dual focus-paying attention to the memory while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation-helps the brain process the memory in a new, less distressing way.

Process the Memory:

During the session, the therapist gently guides the client through the memory without requiring them to go into unnecessary detail or re-live the experience. Instead, the focus is on observing thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations as they arise and shift. Over time, the memory becomes less emotionally charged, and new healthier perspectives emerge.

A Gradual Process:

EMDR is tailored to the individual, and progress happens at a pace that feels manageable. It is not about erasing memories but about reducing their emotional impact and helping clients feel empowered, safe, and more connected to the present.

How Long Does it Take for EMDR to Work?

The time it takes for EMDR to work and create noticeable change varies from person to person, depending on their unique experiences, needs, and goals. Trauma affects everyone differently, and healing is not a one-size-fits-all process.
For some individuals, relief from distressing symptoms can begin after just a few sessions focused on a single traumatic memory. Others, especially those with more complex trauma or a history of multiple distressing events, may require more session to fully process their experiences and address the layers of impact.

Factors that Influence Timing:

• The severity and complexity of the trauma

• The person’s emotional readiness and sense of safety during therapy

• The availability of a strong support system outside of therapy

• The pace at which the individual feels comfortable processing

It’s important to know that EMDR is not a “quick fix”, but is an evidence-based therapy with a track record of helping individuals heal more quickly than some traditional approaches. Healing is a journey, and EMDR provides a path for meaningful progress. Many individuals report significant symptom relief and life changes within weeks, while others, is part of a longer-term process of recovery and growth.