Key Takeaways
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- EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a structured form of therapy with strong research support for treating PTSD.
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- EMDR involves more than eye movements. Treatment follows an eight-phase process that includes learning about your history, preparation, identifying what to work on, reprocessing, and evaluating progress.
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- At Nurturing Therapy Services, Molly Riordan, LMHC, and Courtney Kleinschmidt, LISW, both use EMDR as part of their work with clients.
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- Nurturing Therapy Services provides in-person therapy in Ankeny, Iowa, and online therapy for clients throughout Iowa.
You may have heard of EMDR from a therapist, a friend, or someone sharing their experience online. EMDR, short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a research-backed form of therapy most extensively studied for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
While EMDR is often associated with eye movements and processing difficult memories, there is more to the approach. It is a structured therapy that includes understanding your history and what brings you to therapy, preparing for the work, identifying experiences to focus on, reprocessing those experiences, and checking in on what changes over time. For people who feel that past experiences continue to affect them in the present, EMDR can offer another way to work through those experiences in therapy.
At Nurturing Therapy Services, Molly Riordan, LMHC and Courtney Kleinschmidt, LISW are two of our Ankeny therapists who incorporate EMDR into their work with clients. Like any therapeutic approach, EMDR is considered within the context of the individual person, what they are experiencing, and what they hope to get from therapy.
If you are curious about EMDR but unsure what it involves, understanding the process can make it feel a little less unfamiliar.
What Does EMDR Stand For?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
Psychologist Francine Shapiro developed the approach in the late 1980s. Since then, EMDR has been studied extensively, particularly as a treatment for PTSD.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs describes EMDR as a standardized, trauma-focused psychotherapy for PTSD and notes that it is recommended as a first-line PTSD treatment in numerous clinical practice guidelines. The American Psychological Association also recognizes EMDR as a treatment option for PTSD.
While EMDR is strongly associated with trauma treatment, therapists may incorporate EMDR when working with other concerns as well. The amount and quality of research varies depending on the concern being treated, so it is helpful to talk with an EMDR therapist about what is bringing you to therapy and whether this approach makes sense for you.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
During the reprocessing portions of EMDR, you briefly bring a distressing memory or other targeted material to mind while engaging in bilateral stimulation.
Bilateral simply means alternating between two sides. Depending on the therapist and client, this may involve moving the eyes from side to side, alternating taps, or listening to sounds that move between the left and right sides.
The experience is guided by a therapist rather than done independently.
Researchers continue to study exactly why EMDR works. You may come across explanations online claiming that eye movements imitate REM sleep or that EMDR “rewires the brain.” Those descriptions make the mechanism sound more settled than it currently is.
What we can say more confidently is that EMDR uses a structured process in which a person briefly attends to distressing material while experiencing bilateral stimulation. The American Psychological Association notes that this process is associated with reductions in the vividness and emotional intensity of traumatic memories.
The goal is not to erase what happened or convince yourself that a painful experience was acceptable. The memory remains part of your history. What may change is how distressing or immediate that memory feels, along with the thoughts, emotions, or physical responses associated with it.
What Happens During an EMDR Session?
EMDR follows an eight-phase framework, and preparation is part of the treatment.
1. History and Treatment Planning
Your therapist begins by getting to know you.
You will talk about what is bringing you to therapy, relevant parts of your history, what you are experiencing now, and what you would like to work toward. Together, you and your therapist begin identifying experiences or patterns that may be appropriate to address with EMDR.
This process can continue as therapy progresses and new information comes forward.
2. Preparation
Before reprocessing begins, your therapist explains how EMDR works and helps you prepare for what you may experience.
This phase can include developing strategies for managing distress and talking about how you and your therapist will communicate during processing. The amount of preparation someone needs varies. Some people spend more time here before moving into later phases.
3. Assessment
When you and your therapist are ready to work with a particular memory or experience, you identify what will be targeted.
Your therapist may ask about an image associated with the experience, the emotions and physical sensations that arise, and beliefs connected with it.
4. Desensitization
This is the portion of EMDR most people have heard about.
You briefly focus on the targeted material while engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, alternating sounds, taps, or handheld buzzers that gently alternate vibrations between the left and right hands.
Your therapist checks in between sets of bilateral stimulation about what you are noticing. Thoughts, emotions, images, memories, or physical sensations may come up as processing continues.
5. Installation
As distress associated with the target decreases, therapy turns toward strengthening a more adaptive belief related to the experience.
What that belief looks like will depend on the individual and what they are working through.
6. Body Scan
Your therapist asks you to notice what is happening physically while bringing the target and the new belief to mind.
If uncomfortable physical sensations remain, those responses may become part of continued processing.
7. Closure
EMDR processing does not have to be completed within a single appointment.
At the end of a session, your therapist helps you transition out of the processing work and return your attention to the present. If the target has not been fully processed, you and your therapist can return to it later.
8. Reevaluation
In later sessions, you and your therapist revisit what you have worked on and assess what has changed.
This helps guide decisions about whether additional processing is needed and what may be appropriate to work on next.
How Long Does EMDR Take?
There is no universal number of EMDR sessions.
The American Psychological Association notes that EMDR for PTSD is commonly delivered over approximately 6 to 12 sessions, although some people may need fewer. That range should not be treated as a prediction of how long your own therapy will take.
The EMDR International Association notes that the amount of time spent in each phase varies considerably from one client to another.
Your history, current concerns, treatment goals, the experiences you want to address, and the amount of preparation you need can all influence the course of therapy.
Some people also use EMDR as one part of longer-term therapy rather than as a stand-alone, short-term treatment.
How Do I Know If EMDR Might Be Right for Me?
You do not need to figure that out before contacting a therapist.
If you are interested in EMDR, you can begin by talking with a therapist about what has been difficult, what you have tried before, and what you hope might change.
It can also be helpful to ask questions:
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- Why does the therapist think EMDR may be appropriate for you?
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- What will preparation look like?
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- How will you know when you are ready for reprocessing?
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- What happens if you become overwhelmed?
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- Are there other therapeutic approaches worth considering?
A therapist should be able to explain their recommendations and help you make an informed decision about your care.
EMDR Therapy at Nurturing Therapy Services
At Nurturing Therapy Services, our therapists Molly Riordan, LMHC and Courtney Kleinschmidt, LISW both incorporate EMDR into their clinical work.
Molly is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who works with adults ages 18 and older. She supports clients navigating concerns including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and neurodivergence. Her approach is compassionate and client-centered, drawing from EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy based on the needs of the individual client.
Courtney is a Licensed Independent Social Worker who works with clients ages 13 and older. Her areas of experience include trauma, mood disorders, ADHD, and relationship concerns. She takes a person-centered approach and draws from EMDR alongside other therapeutic approaches based on each client’s needs, goals, and strengths.
Nurturing Therapy Services offers in-person therapy in Ankeny, Iowa, as well as telehealth therapy for clients throughout Iowa. If you are curious about EMDR therapy, you are welcome to reach out, ask questions, and learn more about whether working with Molly or Courtney might be a good fit.
