The therapist will take time getting to know you, your history and will develop a treatment plan based on your desired outcome from therapy. Preparation for the EMDR treatment is part of this plan. This may take several sessions. Once you begin memory reprocessing you will be asked to recall an event or experience and while you are doing so you will be asked to move your eyes rapidly from side to side. Sometimes alternate sounds from headphones or vibrating tappers are used. This seems to facilitate the reprocessing of the memory and as it feels less and less disturbing, we start to feel and think differently about what has happened. The sensations can feel quite physical at times and sometimes we experience strong emotions and body sensations however these do not last long as the memory becomes desensitised.

Each session is 50 minutes. You may be doing memory reprocessing for anywhere up to 40 minutes.

For single incident traumas, EMDR can be effective in just a few sessions. For clients dealing with disturbing life events, but who have had a relatively stable upbringing and are well resourced, it can take months of therapy. For clients who have complex issues and who may have had deficits in their caregiving as children or childhood traumas then EMDR therapy tends to take longer and will involve a more integrative approach blending EMDR with other modalities.

There are many things which can be felt after an EMDR session. Some clients feel immediate relief and joy, while others feel very tired. Typically, reprocessing occurs for up to 48 hours afterwards and dreams can be vivid. Clients frequently report lightness and relief after 48 hours. Self-care is important after memory reprocessing sessions. It can take several sessions before behaviour change is noticed. The most common change is making better choices and feeling more at ease. Clients notice that experiences and people that triggered them or disturb them, no longer bother them.

Yes, memories can still be retrieved, however the memories which were disturbing now feel more distant. Clients report that events feel further away and moreso, in the past.

Yes, EMDR is a body-based psychotherapy. Memory is encoded in the body and will respond to EMDR even without a visual cue.