EMDR Therapy: What Is It Like?

Disclaimer: This article is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy emerged in the United States in 1987 when psychotherapist Francine Shapiro noticed improvements in patients who engaged in eye movement.

EMDR therapy has since become a well-known treatment for overcoming certain mental health conditions, especially for those processing trauma 

Generally, EMDR treatment follows eight steps: gathering patient history and information, preparation and education, assessment, desensitization and reprocessing, installation, body scan, closure and stabilization, and finally reevaluation and continuing care. Sometimes one phase may take more than one session or multiple phases even sometimes be completed in one session, especially the earlier stages that involve fact gathering and preparation.  

To understand more about how EMDR works, check out BetterHelp’s guide to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy.

Please note: While the discussion of EMDR and how it may be used to treat trauma is meant to be helpful, it’s important to know that sometimes discussing trauma can trigger. To access more immediate mental health resources, please visit get help now. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at each phase in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy to learn more about what this therapy is like and what to expect from treatment. 

The Gathering Patient History Phase

The first phase of EMDR treatment is gathering a person’s history and information about what brought them to seek treatment. This step includes asking them about the trauma or disturbing memories they wish to focus on in treatment.   

The Preparation Phase

During the preparation and education phase, the therapist will discuss what someone can expect during an EMDR session and ways to feel safer in their emotions. This is especially important for people who have experienced trauma. Properly preparing someone who’s been through a traumatic experience can help them to be more successful in EMDR treatment.  

The Assessment Phase

In the assessment phase, the therapist or person leading your EMDR treatment will help you to identify specific memories of trauma. Then the therapist works with you to assess the trauma and the negative beliefs surrounding how the trauma has impacted you. Plus, they’ll help identify the positive beliefs you’d like to experience more of after completing EMDR therapy.  

The Desensitization And Reprocessing Phase

For the desensitization and reprocessing phase, expect your therapist to bring up the specific memories identified in the assessment phase and combine them with rapid eye movement, sounds, or taps to help reprocess the traumatic memories.  

Physiologically, the rapid eye movement, sounds, and tapping are meant to encourage bilateral stimulation, which is a key tool in EMDR treatment. Bilateral stimulation is the process of engaging both hemispheres of the brain, which can assist in processing trauma and increasing positive emotions and sensations. 

Bilateral stimulation is an important mechanism used in eye movement desensitization therapy (EMDR), as it can soothe and calm the client's nervous system. Bilateral stimulation may also enhance a person’s ability to access more positive emotions and sensations.

The Installation Phase

During the installation phase, a person begins to install new positive emotions, which are meant to enable the person to more effectively manage their negative emotions. This does not involve attempting to remove negative emotions. It’s more about developing positive thoughts around the negative trauma. For example, if the person is dealing with feelings of powerlessness after an accident, then a therapist can help them to develop positive feelings of being in control.   

The Body Scan Phase

The body scan phase of EMDR treatment focuses on how someone feels in their body – even when experiencing the memories of a trauma. By testing how you feel after a series of EMDR sessions, it’s possible to better understand the progress you’re making and how far you may still have to go with your EMDR therapy.   

The Closure Phase

In closing an EMDR session, the therapist will work to help you return to a state where you can feel more at ease after reprocessing a traumatic memory. They’ll also help someone to better utilize self-soothing techniques designed to aid them in feeling more stable in between EMDR treatments. Often therapists can recommend journaling as a way for people to record their thoughts and feelings in between sessions. 

The Reevaluation Phase

Reevaluation is the final step in the EMDR treatment process, where a therapist will look at the level of success someone is having from EMDR. The EMDR therapist will also help you plan for how to handle negative emotions in the future, as well as looking at the need for future sessions.