What happens in an EMDR therapy session?

Disclaimer: This post is specifically for clients of New Suns Therapy and is meant for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional therapy or medical advice. Remember, engaging in EMDR should always be under the guidance of a qualified professional. For those considering this therapeutic approach, ensure that your therapist has received EMDRIA approved training and supervision to guarantee a safe and effective healing experience.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a powerful, evidence-based approach that assists individuals in processing and healing from traumatic experiences. In this post I break down what happens in EMDR sessions.

1.Getting to Know You:

In our initial sessions, I'll get to know you and any current issues you may be facing or places where you feel “stuck”. This helps me understand your goals and hopes and determine if EMDR will be a good fit for you.

2. Resourcing & Preparation:

We will review and learn together coping skills, relaxation techniques, and getting in touch with your innate wisdom and inner resources. We may also co-create a self/community care plan as you prepare for trauma processing. This ensures that you have tools to stay grounded and safe throughout our therapy sessions, especially if strong emotions arise.

3. Assessment:

Together, we'll pinpoint specific memories or parts of traumatic experiences to focus on during EMDR. This involves choosing a "target memory" and identifying any negative beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations tied to it.

4. Desensitization:

During this phase, I'll ask you to focus on the target memory. At the same time, you'll experience what’s called bilateral stimulation (BLS) or dual attention stimulation (DAS), which could be following a dot that moves back and forth across your screen with your eyes, listening to alternating sounds, feeling tactile sensations in your hands, or sometimes a combination of these, depending on what feels best for you. In between the sets of DAS/BLS, I will guide you to notice the emergence of any sensations, thoughts, feelings, memories, or images in the moment. This helps your brain process the memory and reduce the level of disturbance associated with it.

5. Reprocessing:

As we continue with bilateral stimulation, I'll guide you in exploring the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that come up. Our goal is to help you gain new insights or perspectives and develop positive beliefs that replace the negative feelings associated with the memory.

6. Installation:

Here, we'll reinforce the positive beliefs or insights you've discovered during reprocessing, helping to solidify these healthier thoughts in place of the older, negative ones.

7. Body Scan:

After working on the target memory, I'll guide you in noticing any lingering tension or sensations in your body. This helps ensure that we address any remaining physical reactions related to the memory.

8. Future Template:

Once we have cleared the target memory and any associated earlier memories, we will focus on applying your newfound insights and growth to future scenarios. You’ll visualize confronting similar situations, equipped with your new positive beliefs and coping strategies. We’ll use bilateral stimulation to reinforce and integrate these positive responses.

9. Closure:

By the end of each session, I'll ensure you feel grounded and centered before you leave. I might share relaxation exercises or other strategies to help you maintain a sense of calm between our sessions.

10. Reevaluation:

At the start of our next session, we'll discuss the progress you've made, talk about any new experiences or insights, and decide what to focus on for that day.

Conclusion:

This is a simple, general guideline of the standard EMDR protocol. However, there are many EMDR protocols and adaptations of the standard protocol for different populations (i.e. children). Also, while EMDR does follow specific protocols, I do not use EMDR in isolation from the other modalities I am trained in. For example, during processing I often interweave somatic practices or parts work.

EMDR therapy often requires multiple sessions to fully address various memories or aspects of a traumatic event, and the number of sessions you'll need can vary based on your individual experiences and needs. We'll always go at a pace that feels right for you.

If you’re curious about EMDR and want to know more about it, I invite you to book a free 20-minute consultation.