What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a model of psychotherapy developed to decrease and eliminate distress caused by trauma. The original research was done with war veterans with PTSD. The research has since shown positive outcomes for symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and other trauma responses.

What Is EMDR Used For?

EMDR is most commonly used for:

  • PTSD

  • Childhood trauma

  • Medical trauma

  • Anxiety and panic

  • Phobias

  • Grief

  • Performance blocks

  • Negative core beliefs (“I’m not safe,” “I’m not enough,” etc.)

How It Works

EMDR is based on the idea that traumatic memories can get “stuck” in the nervous system. When something reminds you of the original event, your body reacts as if it’s happening again.

During EMDR, the client:

  1. Brings up a distressing memory.

  2. Focuses on a negative belief connected to it.

  3. Engages in bilateral stimulation (usually side-to-side eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones).

  4. Allows the brain to naturally “reprocess” the memory.

Over time, the memory becomes:

  • Less emotionally charged

  • Less physically activating

  • Associated with a more adaptive belief

For example:

  • “I’m powerless” → “I survived”

  • “It was my fault” → “I was a child”

What Bilateral Stimulation Does

The side-to-side movement appears to help the brain integrate the memory more adaptively. Some theories suggest it mimics aspects of REM sleep processing.

The exact mechanism is still being studied, but research shows EMDR can reduce trauma symptoms effectively, sometimes faster than traditional talk therapy.

What a Session Feels Like

  • You are awake and in control the whole time.

  • You don’t have to give detailed verbal accounts of the trauma, we are paying attention to what is going on in your body and moving through it

  • It can feel intense during processing, but typically shifts within the session.

The theory is that eye movements in EMDR mimic how our eyes naturally move during REM sleep (dream sleep). If you’ve ever looked at someone sleeping while dreaming, you might have noticed that you can see their eyes move back and forth under their eye lids. Dreams are a way for our brains to process information from the day or past memories. EMDR uses these same eye movements, but while awake and alert. This way we can process past experiences in a similar manner as dreaming, but while conscious.

EMDR has personally been the most transformative therapy I have experienced, and I love using it with clients.