What is EMDR?
A Powerful Approach to Healing Trauma
For many people, trauma leaves more than just memories—it leaves the body and mind feeling stuck in a loop, unable to fully move on. If you’ve ever felt like you know something is over, but your nervous system hasn’t quite caught up, EMDR therapy might be worth exploring.
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a research-backed, evidence-based approach to healing trauma. It’s used by therapists all over the world to help people recover from distressing experiences—without needing to retell the story over and over again.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR was developed by psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It’s based on the idea that trauma and overwhelming experiences can get “stuck” in the brain and nervous system. When that happens, we may continue to feel the emotional intensity of an event, even long after it’s over.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—most commonly, guided eye movements or alternating taps or sounds—to help the brain reprocess difficult memories. The process supports the nervous system in letting go of the emotional charge and integrating the experience more adaptively.
In other words, EMDR helps the brain do what it naturally does during REM sleep: process, sort, and heal.
How EMDR Works
EMDR is an eight-phase therapy that includes:
History-taking and treatment planning
Preparation – learning grounding and resourcing tools
Assessment – identifying the memory and related beliefs/sensations
Desensitization – using bilateral stimulation to reprocess the memory
Installation – strengthening more adaptive, positive beliefs
Body scan – noticing and releasing residual tension or sensation
Closure – returning to regulation after each session
Reevaluation – reviewing progress and next steps
Clients are awake and in control the entire time. The goal isn’t to forget the memory—it’s to help it lose its emotional intensity so it no longer feels triggering, frightening, or stuck.
What EMDR Can Help With
EMDR was originally developed for PTSD, but its uses have expanded. It’s now widely used to treat:
Childhood trauma or neglect
Single-incident trauma (e.g., accidents, assaults, medical procedures)
Anxiety and panic attacks
Phobias
Grief and loss
Low self-esteem and negative core beliefs
Performance anxiety
Complex PTSD and relational trauma
Because EMDR bypasses some of the usual “talk therapy” routes, it can be especially helpful for people who feel emotionally flooded, shut down, or unable to access their experiences with words.
What EMDR Feels Like
EMDR sessions are structured but deeply individualized. During the reprocessing phase, your therapist will ask you to hold a memory or image in mind while tracking a moving object with your eyes, listening to alternating sounds, or feeling alternating taps. Thoughts, sensations, and emotions may come up and shift as the memory begins to "digest."
Most clients describe the experience as strange but effective. Many notice that after EMDR, their distress is significantly reduced and they can think about a painful memory with more clarity, compassion, or even neutrality.
Is EMDR Right for You?
EMDR isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach—but for many, it’s a powerful and efficient way to resolve trauma and move forward. It can be used on its own or integrated with other therapy modalities, like somatic work, parts work, or talk therapy.
If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or haunted by experiences from the past, EMDR might be the key to unlocking healing in a new way.