What is EMDR therapy? And why is it so popular?

Article 12

January 31, 2026

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"Trauma creates change you don't choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose."

Michelle Rosenthal

If you’ve spent time looking for a therapist or chatted with a friend who’s been in counseling, you might have heard of a type of therapy called EMDR.  EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.  It’s had some recent big moments in the spotlight, such as when singer Miley Cyrus mentioned during her interview with the New York Times that it “saved my life.” Since then, there has been increased buzz surrounding this modality and the potential for healing that it offers.

This article is a synopsis of what EMDR is, what it's like to go through the process as a client, and how it might provide the opportunity to improve your quality of life. This is the detailed version of what I tell clients who are interested in learning more about the modality.

What is EMDR?

EMDR is an evidence-based therapy that is targeted toward decreasing the disturbance someone experiences after living through a traumatic event (that is the D of EMDR, which stands for desensitization).  EMDR also facilitates positive and adaptive reprocessing (the R of EMDR) of the content of the memory in a way that allows a person to consider a new perspective and adopt a more supportive outlook on a situation and themselves. This is possible at a deep level due to EMDR causing lasting change in neural pathways in the brain.

EMDR is guided by the client in many ways, and it operates on the knowledge that the body is a self-healing system.  When you get a small cut on your arm, you don’t need to go to the doctor and use medical intervention to facilitate the process of creating a scab over the cut.  The body in its wisdom knows how to heal itself.  But if there is dirt in the wound and the cut becomes infected, you need a doctor to help remove the dirt and create the right environment for the body to proceed with its natural mending systems.  EMDR works similarly to this.  Trauma might be considered the metaphorical dirt in the wound that prevents proper healing.  EMDR helps remove this to allow the body to engage in its natural ability to heal itself.

The fascinating thing is that the brain will almost always come to an adaptive and positive core belief simply by going through the steps of EMDR.  The therapist doesn’t have to prime the client to prepare them to move into the direction of health - the brain does this on its own, and EMDR simply creates an environment to facilitate the process.

EMDR utilizes bilateral stimulation (referred to as BLS), which is some form of stimulation administered to one side of the body laterally, and then the other.  This is repeated multiple times during the process of EMDR.  That is what the EM stands for - eye movements, done in a specific way, that provide bilateral stimulation to the body. As EMDR has expanded to accomodate more needs, it has also expanded the types of BLS that may be used.

Other common forms of BLS are tactile (often administered via “tappers,” small paddles held in the palm of each hand that alternate with a short 1-second vibration back and forth) and auditory (a low tone emitted from headphones, going from one ear and back to the other).

Why is EMDR a common part of therapy?

As a therapist, I utilize EMDR with majority of my clients.  There is a common misunderstanding that EMDR is only for severely traumatic incidents, such as active duty combat or sexual assault. The reality is that everyone has lived through events that have impacted them negatively in some way.  It might be an embarrassing moment in grade school or an off-handed comment an exhausted parent made unintentionally. 

Moments that appear to be small or insignificant can sometimes be the ones that have the biggest influence. EMDR is very effective for addressing the impact of these events, too.

Part of that impact includes what our brains did to make meaning out of our experiences.  Our brains have a need to put the puzzles of our lives together.  Why did they say that to me?  Why did it end up like that?  Why did that relationship not work out?  Why did I not get that job? 

Sometimes, our brains make meaning of events in a way that causes us to internalize - often at hidden, quiet, subconscious levels - negative things about ourselves that are not true, but answer the question "Why did this happen to me?"

Some common core beliefs people identify are:

• I’m unlovable.

• I’m not safe.

• I have no control.

• It was my fault.

• I’m not enough.

• I’m a bad person.

Often when I talk with people about the core beliefs that their brains might have created as they tried to make meaning of tough events, they immediately follow those statements (e.g. “I’m not safe”) with a lot of rationale - “But I know I’m safe now” / “That happened so long ago” / “But logically I know that’s not true.”

I often find that people who have already done a fair amount of personal work struggle with this internal disconnect - they know what is true (e.g. “I am lovable.”), but they feel like the opposite is true.  It often feels like a battle between the head and the heart.

An example might be someone who logically understands that they are safe, but their body often feels on edge and struggles to find a sense of grounding.  It’s like the body and brain are living out two different narratives.

This is one of my favorite things about EMDR: it bridges the gap between the head and the heart, and when you complete an EMDR target, what you know to be true will feel true as well.  This is also what sets EMDR therapy apart from most other modalities. 

As positive as it can be for an individual to continually redirect their thoughts and practice positive self talk, EMDR gets to the root of issues so that the pattern (e.g. negative self talk) no longer needs to exist.  This is why EMDR is often more effective than other modalities simply aimed at changing thoughts or behaviors, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).  Later in the article, an individual even notes in their testimonial “EMDR did what 12 years of talk therapy couldn’t do.”  I find this to be the case for many people - EMDR is able to be effective at a much deeper level than many other modalities.  It also has much longer-lasting results. 

I will add as a caveat that part of my preparation with clients before starting EMDR is learning about healthy and unhealthy ways of thinking (CBT).  This is valuable information and can make the process of EMDR more seamless when the client begins reprocessing.

I can say from my own personal experience - both as a client who has received EMDR as well as a clinician who has spent 100+ hours administering EMDR - that this modailty is life-changing.

Personally, I am not as reactive, my body is calmer, and I don't spiral like I used to when certain triggering events take place. The process also made me realize that there were things about me that I considered to be part of my personality that were actually just trauma responses. It was amazing in my experience how EMDR helped me learn who I truly am. It was also a powerful reminder that we are not our trauma.

What role does bilateral stimulation play in EMDR?

The main reason BLS is a critical part of EMDR is that it activates both hemispheres of the brain.  BLS also ensures that the brain is in a state of dual attention; this means that the stimulation to the body provides some level of physical grounding for the body in the present moment while you access a distressing memory.  I tell my clients it’s like having one foot in the therapy room with me and one foot in the memory.

BLS also plays a role in taxing the brain’s working memory.  By doing this, it allows the traumatic content to be reaccessed and processed in a way that is different than if you attempted to re-access the memory on your own.  Studies have demonstrated that the vividness and emotionality of a traumatic memory decrease throughout the process of EMDR, and this is largely attributed to its unique ability to tax the working memory.

How does EMDR work in a therapy session?

Quick disclosure - just as every therapist brings their own background, knowledge, style, and personality to the therapeutic relationship and the modalities they utilize, they do the same with EMDR.  The following details how EMDR looks in the sessions I offer as a therapist.  While I do follow the protocol that is taught in the trainings, I also include personal stylings and sometimes blend other therapies into EMDR as it is appropriate.  If you see a therapist for EMDR, the sessions will likely be structured similarly to what is described below with a few differences.

Long before my clients start their first EMDR reprocessing session, I work with them on building certain skills that will prepare them for EMDR.  Just like we need lifejackets, oars, and other equipment before going out on the water, you need to have some tools in your tool belt to be adequately prepared for EMDR.

Some of these tools are emotion regulation and coping skills, such as the Physiological Sigh or learning to identify cognitive distortions.  Others are more involved and individualized forms of resource-building.

EMDR is spread into 8 phases, and only 3 of which are where the reprocessing takes place.  The first phase is focused on identifying present-day challenges (e.g. defensiveness with your partner or social anxiety), and then the therapist works backward with the client to identify a core memory to reprocess, often called the “target memory.”  This first phase can take a few minutes or a couple sessions.

The second phase focuses on building coping abilities and internal resources.  This can take anywhere from 1 session to a few months.  It depends on the therapist's style and the client’s needs.  It’s an integral part of EMDR, and I’ve even seen some clients have a significant reduction in symptoms simply after going through Phase 2.

Phase 3 involves identifying the core belief your system developed as a result of the event (e.g. “I’m a bad person”), the positive belief you would like to have about yourself instead, and a measure of how disturbing the memory is to you.

During every reprocessing session, I will ask my client to rate how disturbing or upsetting it is to picture the memory we have identified to reprocess. This is following the protocol and begins to prime your brain from shifting back and forth between the two hemispheres; first, you think about the memory and your body has some activation in response (more activation in the right hemisphere).  Second, I ask you to use a numbered scale to rate the intensity of the emotion (shifting to activation in the left hemisphere).  This back-and-forth activation of the hemispheres was designed by the founder of EMDR to "warm up" the brain for this specific type of activation that is created through BLS in the following phases.

Phases 4-7 invovle BLS, and this is where the desensitizing and reprocessing take place.

One fascinating aspect of EMDR is that as you go through the process, the disturbance associated with revisiting the traumatic memory you have targeted will decrease significantly; this is due to the desensitizing effect. Clients will often start the process reporting that when they revisit a specific memory, the disturbance is high - say, an 8 out of 10.

As the therapist, I don't just hear the disturbance level - I see it. When they tell me that number, I often see slumped shoulders, downcast eyes, shifting in the seat, tears, even tremors. I can see the disturbance in the body. As we go through the process of EMDR, that number gradually decreases. Week by week, it often gets lower, and with it, I can see the body feel safer and calmer. By the time Phase 4 of EMDR is complete, a client is reporting a low disturbance level - sometimes as low as 0.

Imagine a challenging memory that still sticks with you. Think about how it's affected you. Notice what happens in your body when you revisit it. Notice what you start to believe about yourself. Think about all of the small daily things that trigger this response in you. Now imagine all of that distress, gone. That's the power of EMDR.

Going through the process of EMDR can take multiple months (2 to 6+), but it is still one of the most effective forms of treatment that also takes one of the shortest time periods to see results. The desensitization and reprocessing effects are permanent and long-lasting, so you won’t wake up 6 months later finding the effects have worn off. Unlike other modalities that require long-term homework and practice, EMDR facilitates long-lasting neurobiological change.

As you go through the process, you might notice heightened emotionality or even that your dreams are reflecting some of the content you are processing. Any effects like this are short-lived and are a typical part of the subconscious brain “chewing on” what you’ve been reprocessing in sessions.

Completing an EMDR target involves the disturbance associated with the memory getting as low as possible, such as a 0 or 1, as well as an increased sense of your positive replacement belief (e.g. “I am lovable”) feeling true.

Once this has been achieved, your therapist might move into present day triggers that feel similar to the target memory or stir up the same negative belief about yourself.

For example, the past event might have been a mistake you make and the core belief “I have to be perfect.”  The present trigger might be an area in your life where mistakes are part of the territory and are particularly triggering or create severe perfectionism.  Reprocessing the present trigger would look like decreasing how upsetting it is for you when you make a mistake (desensitization) and reinforcing the positive belief into that situation (e.g. “I am enough, even when I make mistakes.”).

When you complete an EMDR target, you will be able to look back on the memory with very little disturbance.  A common experience many report as they go through EMDR is noticing that many aspects of the memory don’t feel as vivid or loud. 

I will clarify and add - EMDR doesn’t make you forget the memory.  It just makes it so that it is no longer stored in the parts of the brain that activate a survival response in your body every time you revisit the memory.  The fuzziness or quiet that people report after going through EMDR when they look back on a target memory is in fact part of the desired effect of the treatment and is referred to as “psychological distancing.”

Some people also ask if there is a chance that as they go through EMDR, their brain remembers a memory that it has blocked out.  This is a slight possibility, but I always tell clients that we can trust the brain.  If it determines that there are not adequate coping abilities or supports in place to manage the distress associated with the retrieval of a traumatic memory, it will keep you safe by making this memory inaccessible.

What is the history of EMDR?

EMDR was founded as a therapy modality in the 1980s by Francine Shapiro.  It has evolved into a robust treatment for the resolution of many different types of trauma since then.  When EMDR was first being developed, it was initially used as therapists worked with combat veterans returning from the conflict in Vietnam who were exhibiting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms.  The results from the treatment were so dramatic and long-lasting that it caused many in the mental health community to lean in and further explore all the ways the modality could be used.

Now, rather than being reserved for significant single-incident traumas (such as a car accident or sexual assault), EMDR is one of the most effective modalities in reducing symptoms associated with complex trauma, such as prolonged childhood attachment wounding.  Personally, I find that for complex presentations such as that, EMDR is not a stand-alone treatment but blends well with parts work modalities such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), Ego State Therapy, or Developmental Needs Meeting Strategies (DNMS) therapy. I incorporate a lot of parts work into my time with clients and have found it to be wildly beneficial, especially when paired with EMDR.

What is the training process for therapists to be certified in administering EMDR?

EMDR training is one of the most rigorous of all the therapy modalities.  In my training - which was certified by EMDRIA and conducted by the EMDR Institute - I attended two separate 3-day trainings (25+ hours each) and received 5 hours of consulting after each training (for a total of 10) with a high-level EMDR clinician.  The consultants that are certified to conduct the further individualized training have all had thousands of hours of experience in adminstering EMDR and hundreds of hours of training in the modality.

It typically costs a therapist at least $2,500 to go through the entire training process (depending on the training institution), and it can span 6+ months before they are receive their certification. During that time, they are practicing the modality and receiving regular supervision to hone the art of EMDR.

What do people have to say about EMDR after doing it?

The following testimonials are compiled from various sources across the internet.  These sources can be found here and here.

The following includes testimonials from individuals who have gone through EMDR therapy.  Please be advised that some of these stories include experiences of sexual abuse and explicit language.

“I've been working with an EMDR therapist for about a year and have done maybe six actual EMDR sessions.

“I had a severely unstable childhood, an addicted parent, and experienced sexual abuse at ages five and thirteen. I carried crippling shame inside me for decades. EMDR allowed me to reframe my beliefs about those experiences and set down that shame and truly believe in my inherent worth and value.

It's allowed me to use CBT therapy to continue to unlearn thoughts, patterns and behaviors. CBT never worked before because my brain was stuck believing that somehow everything happened because I was 'fucked up', unlovable or defective. I would shut down with any criticism, constantly feared being left by my partner, acted out or flirted when others paid me any kind of sexual attention, and was incapable of being honest about my struggles.

It's still so scary being vulnerable, trusting that my partner isn't leaving, or being honest, but I can do it now. And, if my partner ever left, I believe I'd be okay. I'd be devastated but could survive because I know it wouldn't be more 'proof' that I'm not worthy of being loved.

“I have quite a bit more healing to do but EMDR did what twelve years of talk therapy and CBT couldn't do alone. That's my experience. Life changing.”

*

“I'm in my 50’s.  I’ve been doing EMDR for almost 8 years, with a lot more in the beginning and then as things come up. I had an emotionally abusive teacher when I was 6 and parents who were easily overwhelmed and self-absorbed. I experienced emotional neglect and, I'm realizing, some low-level physical neglect, like my physical discomfort being negated (being too cold, having to use the restroom, etc.).

“EMDR has helped me change so many beliefs. I dealt with the emotional abuse and can now stay grounded when someone is unexpectedly angry. I don't descend into self-hate when something I say or do sets someone off. I'm accepting I'm a physical being who gets to take up space. I've probably been cold most of my adult life because I didn't dress warmly enough, because if I said I was cold as a child I was often told I wasn't or was told too bad.' In EMDR I've even dealt with anxiety caused by life-long existential fears, such as 'How can anything mean anything in a universe so big?'

“Practically speaking, I can make phone calls without anxiety, I don't get anxiety when I feel unwell, I no longer have to be perfect, I don't descend into self-hatred where I'm feeling suicidal, I'm actually feeling my feelings (which used to almost disgust me). My anxiety is so much better, my ability to cope with stress is so much better. Life is a lot easier.”

*

“I inhabit my body now. For most of my life I spent in my head, not understanding, valuing or being able to accept most of my feelings. I existed in a state of intense shame and self-loathing that I didn't even recognise, as I couldn't fathom a universe where I could relate to myself in any other way.

“All that has changed now to me being comfortable with who I am, familiar with my emotional range, and feeling good in my own skin. I struggle to even remember how it was to hate everything about myself, it feels like a lifetime ago, when really it's taken a couple of years of intermittent work.”

*

“I was in the Paris attacks in November and came home thinking I was completely crazy. I used to find it difficult to sleep because I thought I would never wake up and I used to be terrified when someone slammed a car door shut because I thought it was a bomb.

“After spending a few months feeling drained and confused, I decided to see a doctor and found out I had PTSD. They suggested I tried EMDR. I wasn’t really sure how it worked but I wanted to try anything. It was incredibly effective for me and it didn’t ever make me feel worse, it was a relief to be able to tell someone in detail what happened.

I just had to go over what happened from beginning to end, with a beeping sound in my ears or buzzing remotes in my hands.

I can’t explain it, but somehow that night (the attacks) became less scary and less real, until eventually it became something that just happened a long time ago.  I could go to sleep and not be scared of being shot. I went to visit my old neighbour and my flat, and it felt like somewhere I used to live, but with no negative feelings attached to it.”

*

“EMDR helped me to safely access memories that had been frozen for years. By retrieving and reinterpreting these memories, I was able to process and heal some pretty deep psychic wounds. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it has been life-changing.”

I think EMDR might help me.  How do I start EMDR therapy?

If you think EMDR might be for you, great!  I have immediate openings here at Blue Jay Therapy for telehealth or in-person sessions at my office in Post Falls. Email me at madeline@bluejaytherapy.org or text (208) 254 1416 to schedule a free consultation.

As a side note: EMDR can be administered via telehealth, so this does not need to be a barrier if you are only able to attend sessions virtually.

If you are not in Idaho and are seeking an EMDR therapist, you can use the Psychology Today website to find therapists near you who offer EMDR therapy and are in-network with your insurance plan.