EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a specialized approach to working with trauma. The process will involve choosing a traumatic moment or “target” to work on, and using Bi-lateral Stimulation (alternating sensory input on right and left sides of the body) to change how the traumatic memory is stored in the brain.
This mimics the brain's natural REM-sleep processing, allowing the nervous system to "digest" stuck traumatic material that was encoded in a fragmented, emotionally charged state — reducing its negative effects and integrating it into ordinary memory.
What to Expect
Working with me in EMDR therapy begins with a consultation call and an initial intake session, similar to talk therapy. Once the intake is done, however, EMDR will involve a much more standardized process with 8 basic phases of desensitizing a memory or experience (called a “target”) and reprocessing the meanings and beliefs we associate it with.
For more information on each phase of EMDR, click the dropdown arrows below.
-
History & Target Planning:
This phase focuses on identifying experiences or memories that elicit negative emotional and/or physical reactions in the present moment. From this list, you pick a target memory for us to work on. *Don’t worry- we will NEVER start with your earliest or worst memories.
-
Preparation & Resourcing:
Before we process any targets, it is important to make sure that you have various calming/grounding techniques or “resources” accessible to you in the event you ever feel dis-regulated in or outside of session. We will establish at least 2 resourcing techniques that you feel confident using before we move forward.
-
Assessment:
In this phase, we will explore the details within the target memory, such as:
The worst moment or image
Negative beliefs associated with target
Emotions associated with target
Physical sensations
-
Desensitization
This phase takes the longest to complete. You will be prompted to focus on your target while using Bi-lateral Stimulation (BLS). This might be watching a dot move back and forth on your screen, hearing an audio cue moving from left to right, or tapping your feet. BLS helps you re-experience the target while keeping you grounded in the present moment, preventing excessive dis-regulation or “flooding”.
-
Installation:
Once the target has lost its negative charge, we move on to installing a more positive and adaptive core belief with the target. Traumatic memories become traumatic because they instill a negative core belief in us such as “I”m not good enough” or “I’m broken”. This phase replaces the initial belief with a more adaptive one once the memory is neutralized.
-
Body Scan:
The last thing you want is to rush through processing a difficult memory, only to realize it isn’t fully healed in your system. That’s what the body scan is for. You’ll be prompted to focus on your target with the new, adaptive belief, and scan your body for any physical sensations or reactions that might indicate there’s more to process.
-
Closure:
This phase will occur at the end of each session. Closure involves debriefing what came up during the session, “bookending” processing with some form of resourcing, and addressing any questions/concerns you may have before the next session.
-
Reevaluation:
This phase occurs at the start of each session once a target has been identified. I’ll check in on how the grounding resources are working for you, whether you’ve had any new insights/memories related to the target, and whether there are any changes in triggers or symptoms. From there, we can either continue processing the current target, plan a new one, or focus on stabilization if you’re going through something unrelated that prevents you from focusing on the target.