EMDR - Frequently Asked Questions

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a psychotherapy that uses bilateral stimulation (BLS) to call forward a client’s dysfunctionally-stored, long-term memory, in order to reprocess it and alleviate symptoms.

Our minds and bodies are self-healing, but sometimes, when something disturbing or traumatic happens, the experience is not adequately processed, leading to “side effects” within our brain’s information processing system, which is what creates the reoccurring, uncomfortable internal experiences (in other words, symptoms, such as: intrusive thoughts, difficult emotions, painful flashbacks, uncomfortable body sensations, etc.) that can lead to mental and physical health issues. 

EMDR is a way of activating your own self-healing mechanisms to clear the dysfunctional information that is attached to the traumatic or disturbing memories so that you may feel capable of responding to the present according to your goals and values without feeling held back by old wounds.  

BLS (bilateral stimulation) is the process in which a person follows an external stimulus, such as the back-and-forth movements of the therapist’s fingers, listening to audio beeps in each ear, or tapping, in order to activate both sides of the brain for memory processing. This process occurs while the client simultaneously calls to mind a disturbing or traumatic experience: BLS activates the working memory, which will then reprocess the dysfunctionally-stored, long-term memory and store it in an adaptive manner that clears the overpowering fight-or-flight response that the memory formerly activated.

I set goals with clients to determine which memories we will target and create a plan for coping skills you will use to help you throughout treatment and beyond. Clients are also invited to share their perspectives on their goals and how they are progressing.

While there is no set minimum or maximum number of sessions for EMDR therapy, research has found that the amount of time it takes to alleviate symptoms and reprocess traumas using EMDR is significantly less than that of traditional “talk” psychotherapy, with EMDR also being regarded as a “compassionate” trauma treatment that does not require the client to talk about details pertaining to their traumas—they simply have to hold the memory in their mind while engaging in the bilateral stimulation exercise.

Our first meeting will focus on discussing what brings you in for treatment, along with your physical and mental health history, closing with a discussion of what EMDR treatment will look like and what we can work on together.

Reprocessing will begin once foundational steps are completed, including the creation of (at least) 2 coping skills that will be your safety net throughout this process to make it as smooth and managable as possible. Rest assured, the reprocessing will begin quickly and you will have each step of the EMDR process clearly explained to you beforehand so that there are no surprises.