EMDR — eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing

What happens to a traumatic memory

An ordinary memory is integrated over time into the general stream of memory: we know the event is in the past and can talk about it without living through it again.

With a traumatic memory this does not happen. It stays unprocessed: it is stored in fragments — an image, a sound, a bodily sensation — and when activated is experienced as happening now, with the same intensity.

How the method works

During a session you hold a fragment of the memory in your field of attention while following the therapist’s hand with your eyes (tapping or auditory stimulation may be used instead). This bilateral stimulation while holding the memory sets off a process of reprocessing: the memory begins to be integrated into memory in the normal way.

The result: the event stays in memory — the method does not delete memories — but stops producing an acute reaction. Along with this, the conclusions connected with the event usually change too: “it was my fault” gives way to a more accurate assessment.

How the work is structured

Preparation is a compulsory stage. Before working with a memory the specialist makes sure you have skills for handling strong emotions and a way of returning to a stable state. This stage cannot be skipped, and sometimes it takes several sessions.

Choosing the target. A specific memory is selected, along with the image connected with it, the bodily sensation and the negative belief about yourself.

Reprocessing. The reprocessing sessions are the main part. Between sets of stimulation the therapist asks what came up, and the work follows that.

Closure. Every session ends with a return to a stable state. A session does not end in the middle of an acute experience.

What to expect

Work with a single traumatic event in an adult without other complications often takes 6 to 12 sessions. Complex trauma — prolonged experience of abuse or neglect — requires substantially more time, and in such cases EMDR is used as part of broader work, often together with schema therapy.

The method can be emotionally intense. That is precisely why the preparation stage is not shortened, and you set the pace: you can stop at any moment.

Online

EMDR is possible in an online format with adapted forms of bilateral stimulation, but the decision about the format is made by the specialist, based on your state and the nature of the trauma.