I am an EMDR trained therapist. And I love spreading the word about the totally different and somewhat unbelievable type of therapy.

Through my time as an EMDR therapist I have figured out that this type of therapy can be a little intimidating to those considering it for treatment. Heck I was intimidated for my first session and I had been reading about it in research journals for years! There are tons of places online to ready the research and all that. So the purpose of this article is to help you understand what actually happens in the room during my EMDR therapy.

EMDR is a 8 step protocol. So lets go through each step and I will explain what it can be like in session.

Step 1 History Taking

This step is exactly as you would expect… We talk about what brought you into therapy and take a history of your symptoms and memories that may relate. This can help us to determine themes in your life. We talk about what currently triggers you to an unwanted feeling or response and how you would prefer to respond in the future. We also determine if you are ready to jump into EMDR or if we need to build up some coping skills before we begin.

Step 2 Preparation

We talk more about what brought you into therapy and what to expect from EMDR. We go through how disturbing events can get locked in the brain and how EMDR may help process these events so they seem like a memory. I will show you how we need to sit to do the eye movements and we will have a demonstration of the different types of eye movements. There are also other ways to stimulate EMDR such as tapping or sounds we can try out. I will show you the stop signal in case you need to stop the EMDR. We also evaluate current support structures in your life and how to access resources as needed. We will also work together to connect to a calm place you have experienced or imagined and (probably) reinforce it with our first set of eye movements.

Step 3 Assessment

We are getting ready to dive in at this point. We will pick a target memory to apply EMDR. This includes sharing the most disturbing part of the target memory and the negative belief about yourself it brings up. Sounds difficult? It can be; but we stick with it and move forward. Because we also get to come up with what you would prefer to believe about yourself (yay! That is going to feel nice).

Step 4 Desensitization

Time for a lot of eye movement or tapping! Basically I used to information from Step 3 to get you connected to the feeling of the target memory. And then we start the eye movements/tapping. I may talk to you as the movements are going on and you are reprocessing. Some people’s mind starts going through all sorts of events at this point and others stay focused on the target. Whatever happens is OK! We go with it. I stop the movements to check in with you and we keep moving forward. From my experience people tend to get emotional for a short time during the movements and then slowly start making changes to their thoughts. Often a person’s face and body will relax and they will look at me and say something like “it wasn’t my fault” or “I am safe now.” This is the best moment ever! Sometimes we come to this resolution in the same session we started the target. Sometimes we don’t, and we pick up at the next session.

Phase 5 Installation

After you report that you no longer feel distress over the target memory we get to talk about your positive belief. We take a positive statement and link it to the memory to help you feel empowered and reinforce your victory over the target memory.

Phase 6 Body Scan

We want to make sure that negative image and belief are out of you! Our bodies sometimes hang on to things in a different way than our minds. We check your body for any tension, tightness, or strange feelings hanging on. We use eye movements or tapping as needed to resolve these if present.

Phase 7 Closure

We do this step if session is coming to an end before the target memory and its related memories are “clear.” This often happens so I will help you contain the emotions brought up before it is time to go. It is important to note that some people’s minds continue to process after session is over. EMDR seems to stimulate a natural healing response in the mind that continues while out of the therapist office. This may result in vivid dreams, insights, or feelings. Writing these things down and bringing it to the next session is important so anything uncomfortable can be addressed. I encourage all clients to call me for a session if they find themselves in distress over a memory.

Phase 8 Reevaluation

This is our check in on how things have gone since our last session. We talk about any changes in thoughts, feelings, or actions as well present triggers. We decide if we need to revisit the target. If we are ready to move on it is time to talk about the future! This can involve you imagining a story in the future where you handle the situation. We talk about the feelings that come up. If your story has a happy ending, we have you play a movie in your head where you are the star in order to increase confidence and solidify your progress.

At this point we would either consider your discharge or go after a different set of memories.

I hope this helps to demystify EMDR in the office. This therapy can help so many people with a variety of concerns. Feel free to reach out to me with questions about how I use EMDR.

Kelly Burris (LMFT CA 86688) is a therapist in Orange County CA specializing in trauma. More information can be found at calicounseling.com