EMDR Therapy: Definition, Procedures, and Benefits

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a well-researched treatment for reducing distress caused by traumatic memories. A therapist guides your eyes from side-to-side while you recall the unpleasant event. This helps your brain reprocess the memory so that it no longer overwhelms you.
• You might be carrying memories that still feel painful. It may even look like the past keeps following you into the present.
• It doesn’t mean you’re broken or stuck. Your brain is doing what every other brain does. It’s holding on to experiences it never got the chance to process, and that’s what EMDR therapy helps with.
• This guide walks you through everything you need to know about EMDR therapy. You’ll learn how it works, who it helps, and how it compares to other treatments. Whether you’re considering it for yourself or trying to understand it better, you’re in the right place.

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR means Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps people heal from trauma. It’s believed that the body keeps the score of past hurts, which prolongs the healing journey.

When you haven’t healed from trauma, it causes you physical and emotional pain. EMDR therapy gives your brain the conditions it needs to heal emotional wounds naturally.

The history of EMDR therapy began in 1987. Psychologist Francine Shapiro noticed that her distressing thoughts lost their emotional charge as her eyes moved from side to side.

She began researching the connection between eye movements and emotional distress. She tested it on Vietnam War veterans and rape victims carrying heavy trauma.

People who had struggled with trauma for years felt relief after a few EMDR therapy sessions. In 1989, Shapiro published her findings in a paper titled “Eye Movement Desensitization.”

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychological Association endorse it. It’s used in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other traumas.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

EMDR therapy works by targeting the way your brain stores traumatic memories. When something frightening happens, your brain sometimes freezes.

The memory is locked in your nervous system with the original emotions and physical sensations. That’s why you can still remember it and feel the same way you felt when it first happened.

It also explains why a rape victim might hear a familiar sound and feel like the incident is happening again.

EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation to unfreeze those stuck trauma memories. Bilateral stimulation means activating both sides of the brain alternately.

During an EMDR therapy session, the therapist uses two fingers to guide your eyes back and forth. They may also use sounds that alternate between both ears.

While doing it, you’ll think about the traumatic event. It helps your brain reprocess the memory using its natural adaptive information-processing system.

Over time, the memory will lose its grip on you. You can still recall the event, but it won’t overwhelm you. The trauma moves from being present and threatening to a distant past event. It might still be painful, but it no longer controls you.

What Happens in an EMDR Therapy Session?

EMDR therapy has eight phases. You’ll need between three and six sessions for one traumatic event. But if you’re dealing with repeated trauma, it might be more. Each therapy session lasts between 60 and 90 minutes.

Here are the exact steps involved.

2. Preparation

Before EMDR therapy begins, your therapist will explain the treatment. They’ll also provide all the informational resources you need. You’ll learn grounding techniques, such as naming an object around you.

You’ll also learn calming exercises, such as journaling.

They’ll come in handy during and between sessions. This phase ensures you’re stable enough to handle what comes next.

4. Desensitization

This is where the eye movement desensitization work begins. While recalling the traumatic event, follow the therapist’s guidance.

This is usually side-to-side eye movements or tapping sounds. But it may also involve listening to alternating tones, such as binaural beats.

After each set, your therapist pauses and asks what you notice. It might be a memory you hadn’t thought about in years or a physical sensation loosening in your chest.

You don’t need to analyze any of it. Report it, and your therapist will guide you into the next set. This back-and-forth continues until the feelings associated with the memory subside.

Your therapist will use the Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD) scale to measure this. It’s a 0-10 rating of how disturbing the memory feels. 0 signifies total calm, and 10 signifies panic, distress, or significant disturbance. The goal is to bring your score as close to zero as possible.

This phase of the EMDR therapy is emotionally intense. But you’re not alone in it. Your therapist tracks everything and knows when to slow down or pause. Also, the grounding techniques you practiced earlier will help you become stable.

5. Installation

In step three, you identified a negative belief attached to the traumatic memory. Something like “It was my fault” or “I am not safe.” In this EMDR therapy phase, you will choose a positive belief, such as “I am enough” and “I am safe now.”

Using the bilateral stimulation, you’ll hold the memory and the positive belief. The connection between them strengthens until you believe the positive affirmations.

The therapist measures your progress using the Validity of Cognition (VOC) scale. It’s rated from 1 (completely false) to 7 (completely true). You should aim for a 6 or 7.

This phase matters because trauma leaves cognitive distortions. These include beliefs that you’re broken, unlovable, or to blame. Installation targets those distortions, replacing them with something more flexible and true.

What Can EMDR Therapy Treat?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is used to treat trauma and other anxiety-related conditions. These include:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumas from accidents or assault
• Anxiety and panic attacks, including social anxiety disorder
• Depression, especially when rooted in unprocessed grief or painful memories
• Emotional wounds, such as patterns of abandonment that show up repeatedly
• Performance anxiety in athletes, public speakers, and professionals
• Disturbing intrusive thoughts, particularly when they connect to past trauma
• Phobias, including specific phobias, agoraphobia, and social phobias

The common thread across all of these is unprocessed memory. EMDR therapy works when the brain has stored distress in a way that keeps you reacting to the present as if you’re still in the past.

This is also why EMDR therapy differs from traditional talk therapy. In talk therapy, healing happens through understanding why you feel a certain way.

EMDR therapy goes deeper by working directly with the memory network in your brain. It aims to change how you think about a traumatic event and how your body and emotions respond to it.

What Are the Benefits and Drawbacks of EMDR Therapy?

EMDR therapy has proven benefits, such as faster trauma processing. You don’t need to verbalize your experience in detail, and it has strong backing from bodies like the World Health Organization.

But it also has drawbacks. Some sessions can be emotionally intense, and it isn't suitable for everyone. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages helps you start EMDR therapy with honest expectations.

How does EMDR Therapy Compare to Other Options for Trauma and Anxiety?

EMDR therapy processes trauma faster than other options for trauma and anxiety. It also requires less verbal disclosure compared to cognitive behavioral therapy. Unlike exposure therapy, it pairs memory recall with bilateral stimulation to speed up desensitization. Below, we take a closer look at EMDR therapy vs other treatments.

Frequently Asked Questions