EMDR

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy approach designed to help the brain process experiences that continue to feel distressing, threatening, or emotionally “stuck.”

Rather than simply talking about an experience, EMDR uses a structured process that includes briefly focusing on aspects of a distressing memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation (BLS), such as eye movements or alternating taps.

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The goal is not to erase the memory. The goal is for the memory to become integrated so that remembering what happened no longer produces the same level of emotional, physical, or psychological distress.

 

What does “reprocessing” actually mean?

Reprocessing means helping the brain take information that has remained emotionally or physically “stuck” and integrate it with more adaptive information.

After successful reprocessing, you still know what happened, but the experience often feels more like something that happened in the past rather than something your nervous system is still responding to as if it is happening now.

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Is EMDR hypnosis?

No. EMDR is not hypnosis.

During EMDR, you remain awake, aware, and in control. You can talk, move, open or close your eyes, ask questions, or stop the process at any time.

One of the important parts of EMDR is allowing your own brain to make associations rather than having the therapist suggest what you should experience.

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What are memory networks?

The brain stores experiences in interconnected networks. Memories can be linked through similar emotions, body sensations, beliefs, images, or experiences.

For example, a present-day experience of being criticized might activate not only the current situation but also earlier experiences associated with beliefs such as “I’m not good enough” or “I always mess things up.”

During EMDR, activating one memory can sometimes lead naturally to other related memories or experiences. This is one reason seemingly unrelated memories may suddenly appear during processing.

 

What is adaptive versus maladaptive information?

Adaptive information is information that is accurate, useful, and integrated—for example:

I survived that.
I have choices now.
It wasn’t my responsibility.
I can protect myself now.
I am good enough.

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Maladaptive information consists of beliefs, emotions, sensations, or responses that made sense in the context in which they developed but remain connected to the memory in a way that is no longer useful.

For example, a child who is repeatedly criticized may understandably develop the belief “Something is wrong with me.” That belief may continue to become activated decades later even when the person intellectually knows it isn’t true.

EMDR helps old experiences connect with more adaptive information that is available now.

 

How does bilateral stimulation help the brain reprocess a memory?

Bilateral stimulation (BLS) involves alternating stimulation from one side of the body to the other, most commonly through eye movements, tapping, or alternating sounds.

BLS is used while briefly activating aspects of a distressing memory. Research supports EMDR as an effective treatment for PTSD, but researchers continue to study exactly why its components work.

Several mechanisms have been proposed. One prominent explanation is that holding a memory in mind while performing another task, such as eye movements, taxes working memory. This can reduce the vividness and emotional intensity of distressing memories. EMDR may also facilitate new associations and help previously distressing information become integrated with more adaptive information.

You do not need to consciously make any of this happen. Your job is primarily to notice what comes up and allow the process to unfold.

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What if I feel like I’m doing EMDR wrong?

This is extremely common.

People often expect something dramatic to happen during EMDR and wonder whether they are “doing it right.” There is no particular thing you are supposed to see, feel, think, or remember.

During processing, you might experience:

• Images or memories

• Thoughts or words

• Emotions

• Physical sensations

• Seemingly random associations

• Changes in perspective

• Nothing obvious at all

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You do not need to analyze what comes up or figure out why it appeared. Simply notice it and report what you are experiencing as accurately as you can.

Think of it as that your therapist wanting to know your inner experience during BLS. If the thought “I had cereal for breakfast today” comes up, say that. There is no perfect way to do EMDR.

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What if nothing comes up during the eye movements or alternating hand buzzers?

That can happen, and it does not necessarily mean EMDR isn’t working.

Your therapist may ask what you notice in your body, what thought is present, whether the original image has changed, or what happens when you return to the target. Sometimes processing is subtle rather than dramatic.

If you repeatedly feel blank, stuck, disconnected, overwhelmed, or unable to access the target, that is useful information for your therapist and can help guide the next step.

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How do I identify the negative belief connected to a memory?

In EMDR, the negative cognition is generally not simply a description of what happened. It is the negative conclusion about yourself that became associated with the experience. You and your therapist will develop this together.

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A useful question is:

“When you think about what happened, what does that mean about you?”

For example:

“My father left” describes what happened.

“I’m not worth staying for” describes what the experience came to mean about you.

Similarly, “I was attacked” describes an event, while “I’m powerless,” “I’m not safe,” or “I can’t protect myself” may capture the belief associated with the experience.

The belief does not have to make logical sense today. In fact, you may intellectually know that it isn’t true. What matters is whether some part of you still feels as though it is true when the memory is activated.

 

Do I have to tell my therapist every detail of the memory?

No.

EMDR does not require you to describe every detail of an experience. Your therapist needs enough information to understand what you are working on and to guide the process safely, but much of the processing can occur internally.

You can also tell your therapist when there are details you aren’t ready or comfortable sharing.

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What if a completely different memory comes up?

That is common.

Because memories are stored in interconnected networks, processing one experience may activate another experience that shares a similar emotion, body sensation, theme, or belief.

You do not need to determine immediately why the memory appeared. Your therapist may simply encourage you to notice it and continue.

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Are all the memories that come up during BLS automatically reprocessed?

Not necessarily.

A memory appearing during processing does not automatically mean that it has been completely processed. Sometimes another memory functions as part of the associative pathway through the original target. Other times, a memory that emerges contains significant unresolved material of its own and may eventually become a separate EMDR target.

Your therapist will help determine whether additional work with that memory is needed.

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How do you know when an EMDR target is finished?

Finishing a target involves more than simply feeling calmer.

Your therapist will typically assess several aspects of the target, including:

Disturbance: The memory produces little or no distress when you bring it to mind.

Positive belief: A more adaptive belief—for example, “I am safe now,” “I am good enough,” or “I have choices”—feels believable.

Body response: When you think about the original experience and the positive belief, your body does not reveal significant unresolved disturbance.

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A completed target does not mean you approve of what happened, forget it, or feel positively about it. You may still feel appropriate sadness, anger, or grief. The difference is that the experience no longer feels psychologically “stuck” in the same way.

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How long does it take to finish one EMDR target?

There is no standard number of sessions.

Some targets can shift substantially within a single session. Others require several sessions, and complex or longstanding experiences may require considerably more time.

The length of processing can depend on factors such as the complexity of the experience, how many other memories are connected to it, current life stress, nervous-system activation, dissociation, and how strongly the associated beliefs have been reinforced over time.

Taking longer does not mean you are doing EMDR incorrectly.

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Do I need to remember everything clearly for EMDR to work?

No.

A memory does not have to be complete or perfectly detailed. EMDR can often begin with whatever is available—an image, emotion, body sensation, belief, fragment of a memory, or even simply the knowledge that something happened.

Your therapist will work with what your brain is able to access rather than trying to force memories to appear.

 

Can I stop during EMDR?

Yes.

You remain in control throughout the process. You can ask to pause or stop at any time.

EMDR should involve enough activation for the memory to be accessible without requiring you to become completely overwhelmed by it. Your therapist will monitor your response and adjust the process when necessary.

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What might I experience after an EMDR session?

Processing can sometimes continue between sessions. For a day or several days afterward, you may notice:

• New memories or associations

• Vivid or unusual dreams

• Increased emotions

• Temporary fatigue

• Physical sensations

• Feeling unusually calm or lighter

• New insights or perspectives

• Changes in how you think about the experience

• Brief periods when related material feels more noticeable

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Some people notice very little between sessions.

If something comes up, you generally do not need to analyze or deliberately work through it on your own. It can be helpful simply to notice it and make a brief note so that you can discuss it with your therapist at the next session.

If distress after a session feels intense, persistent, or difficult to manage, contact your therapist and use the coping or grounding strategies you have developed together.

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Will EMDR erase or change my memories?

EMDR is not intended to erase memories.

You should still remember what happened. What often changes is the emotional intensity, physical activation, and meaning attached to the memory.

Instead of “That happened and it still feels like I’m there,” the experience may gradually become more like “That happened to me, but it is over now.”

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Does EMDR make you remember things that you’ve forgotten?

EMDR can sometimes bring additional memories or associations to mind, but it should not be used as a technique for proving whether an uncertain memory is historically accurate.

Memory is reconstructive and can be imperfect. Something that emerges during processing may feel vivid or meaningful without necessarily providing objective evidence that an event occurred exactly as remembered.

The purpose of EMDR is to address distress and its effects—not to investigate or verify the historical accuracy of memories.

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Do I have to understand why everything comes up?

No.

One of the unusual aspects of EMDR is that you do not necessarily have to intellectually understand every connection your brain makes.

Sometimes the connection becomes obvious. Other times a thought, image, person, memory, or sensation appears that seems completely unrelated.

You can simply notice:

“That’s what came up.”

Then allow the process to continue.

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What is the ultimate goal of EMDR?

The goal is not to make difficult experiences disappear or convince you that painful things were somehow okay.

The goal is integration.

Ideally, the memory becomes something you can remember without your nervous system responding as though the danger, shame, helplessness, or other painful experience is still happening.

You know what happened. You can recognize what it meant at the time. But the past no longer has to carry the same emotional charge—or define what you believe about yourself today.