“When we recognize that we are being held back in life, the question for each of us is “What do I do about it?”

EMDR works primarily in 2 ways: 1) to help desensitize highly charged memories and 2) link negative memories and beliefs with positive beliefs about oneself. By the end of a course of EMDR therapy, you should have little or no distress associated with your targeted memories, and you should believe positive beliefs about yourself associated with the memory. 

While the exact mechanism isn’t clear, we have some theories about how EMDR works. EMDR uses the AIP model, which stands for adaptive information processing. The idea is that when we go through a traumatic experience, memories get stored in maladaptive memory networks and are linked to negative beliefs about oneself and the world (“I’m bad/ I can’t trust/ I’m not enough”, etc). These maladaptive memory networks get “stuck” and disconnected from more adaptive memories and beliefs. EMDR uses a process called bilateral stimulation (BLS) to help connect maladaptive beliefs with adaptive beliefs and memory networks in our brain by stimulating both sides of our bodies. BLS traditionally uses rapid eye movements by watching your therapist’s fingers move back and forth, or via a light bar a therapist has in the office. Some video chat programs have light bars integrated into their software for virtual EMDR therapy sessions. Sometimes instead of eye movements we use tappers or “buzzers”, a little device you hold in your hand that buzzes back and forth, body tapping, or alternating sounds using headphones. Sometimes we do a combination of BLS techniques to figure out what works best for you!

Yes. EMDR has helped millions of people since its inception (Shapiro, 2012). There is ample scientific evidence supporting its efficacy. That being said, it isn't necessarily the right therapy for everyone. There are certain factors that may prevent EMDR from being the right form of therapy for you, and some examples are: being unable to regulate intense emotions even with the help of a therapist or other supportive individual, or having a diagnosis of certain dissociative disorders, among others. In addition, some people just don't respond well as well as others to EMDR. Generally speaking, though, it can be a very useful part of an overall treatment plan. 

It can sometimes work immediately. Some people notice that their distress associated with a memory is reduced right away during their very first processing session (during phases 3-8), and that they notice improvements in mood and affect between processing sessions. We use a scale called the subjective unit of distress (SUDs), where I will ask you to rate the level of distress you feel when thinking about a memory in the present moment on a scale of 0-10. The goal is to completely eliminate or reduce distress as much as possible with your target memory. Usually each individual target memory could take up to several sessions to process through completely. 

That depends on your goals, symptoms, and history. If your symptoms are relatively stable and you want to process a single acute traumatic memory, treatment may go more quickly than if your symptoms are severe and you have a history of complex trauma. Some people need to take more time in phases 1 and 2 in order to get ready to do phases 3-8. If your goals are more long-term and they are impacted by your symptoms and history, treatment may take longer than if your goals are more short-term. On the short end, focused EMDR treatment could take up to 14 weeks. On the longer end, treatment could take months or even years as it’s integrated into a more complex treatment process. We will go at a pace that makes sense for you and your unique circumstances!

One way to speed up the EMDR therapy process is to meet more frequently and for longer sessions. For example, meeting twice weekly or for 90 minute sessions can help treatment move along faster than weekly or twice monthly sessions. 

After going through phases 1 and 2, a typical EMDR session looks like this:

• We check-in about how you are feeling since the last EMDR session and will discuss any changes you noticed in your mood, dreams, or thinking patterns.
• Then, we will pick a memory to process for the day’s session.
• Afterwards, I will ask you a specific set of questions to gauge our starting point with the memory.
• Finally, I will ask you to hold in your mind the image of the memory, words that go along with it, and body sensations while we add bilateral stimulation (BLS). 
• We will check in after a little while and I will ask you what you’re noticing. I might ask you more questions or tell you to continue processing.
• We will continue several BLS sets and I will check-in with you about how distressing the memory feels on a scale of 0-10 (SUDs). 
• We will continue sets of BLS until you have no distress at all when you think of the memory.
• Then, I will ask you how true your positive belief feels on a scale of 0-7 (VOC) and will add in BLS as needed to increase the VOC as much as possible.
• To end our session, I will guide you to use one of the coping strategies we developed in phase 2 to find a state of inner calm. 

Possibly! There is some evidence that EMDR can be beneficial for people who have conditions such as: anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, grief and loss, addiction, autism spectrum disorder, eating disorders, chronic pain, personality disorders, and more (Scelles & Bulnes, 2021). That being said, EMDR is not a catch-all and isn’t necessarily effective for everyone. 

We will determine during Phase 1 whether your current symptoms and patterns relate back to certain events in your life. We will identify your triggers and use different techniques to determine their origins. Ultimately, you and your therapist will decide whether or not to include EMDR as a part of your treatment plan. 

Yes! I use a video platform for EMDR sessions that has built-in technology to help with EMDR processing. I have found that for people who generally like virtual therapy sessions, online EMDR goes smoothly. If you’re generally more of an in-person therapy type, I’d also recommend in-person EMDR to stay consistent in your treatment.