The goal is not to erase a memory. It is to reduce the distress and automatic reactions that keep the experience carrying too much force in the present.
What happens in EMDR?
EMDR is more than eye movements. Treatment includes history and planning, preparation, selecting a target, active processing, closure, and reevaluation.
During processing, you may briefly focus on an image, belief, emotion, or body sensation connected with the target while using bilateral stimulation. Between sets, I ask you to notice what changes or what comes up next. The process is structured, but I am not telling you what the memory is supposed to mean.
Do I have to tell every detail?
Usually not. EMDR involves intentional contact with the target experience, but it generally does not require a detailed verbal retelling of everything that happened.
Is it evidence-based?
Yes. EMDR is among the trauma-focused psychotherapies recommended for PTSD in major clinical guidelines, including guidance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense.
That does not make it the best treatment for every person or every problem. Diagnosis, current circumstances, preferences, risks, and alternatives still matter.
What about intensity and pacing?
Trauma processing can be uncomfortable. I do not use overwhelm as evidence that treatment is working. Current safety, dissociation, support, health, substance use, and overall stress load can all affect pacing.
Telehealth and extended sessions
EMDR can be provided by telehealth when privacy, technology, the physical environment, and clinical readiness support it. I also offer extended EMDR sessions when clinically appropriate. Longer is not inherently better; the format should fit the treatment plan.
How I use EMDR
EMDR is an important part of my practice, but it is not the whole practice. I may also use relational, restorative, parts-informed, somatic, and practical skills-based approaches depending on what is maintaining the problem.
You do not need to decide whether you “need EMDR” before we talk.
Sources
- VA National Center for PTSD: EMDR for PTSD — professional overview
- VA National Center for PTSD: EMDR for PTSD — patient overview
- VA National Center for PTSD: Overview of Psychotherapy for PTSD
- American Psychological Association: EMDR Therapy
Educational information only. Readiness for EMDR and treatment selection require individualized clinical assessment.
Clinically reviewed by Ashley S. Berg, LCSW · Updated September 30, 2026