Just as the body knows how to heal from physical wounds, the mind also has a natural ability to recover from emotional pain. This healing process often happens during REM sleep, when the brain processes and stores daily experiences.
However, when something overwhelming or traumatic happens, the brain’s processing system can become overloaded, and the experience may get “stuck” in the nervous system. The memory, emotions, and body sensations linked to it remain unprocessed. Later, when something triggers that same sense of danger or fear, the body can react automatically—by shutting down, trying to numb or soothe, or responding as if the original event were happening again.
How EMDR Works
EMDR therapy helps the brain resume its natural healing process. During a processing session, your therapist gently guides you to bring a distressing memory to mind while engaging in bilateral stimulation—such as eye movements, alternating tones, or gentle left-right taps.
This activates both sides of the brain, similar to what happens during REM sleep, allowing the memory to be reprocessed safely.
As you recall the memory while following the therapist’s cues, your working memory becomes busy. This reduces the emotional intensity of the memory and allows new, more adaptive beliefs to form. You remain awake, aware, and completely in control throughout the process.
What to Expect from EMDR Therapy
People notice that memories feel more distant, less vivid, and far less distressing. Flashbacks and nightmares often reduce or stop altogether. The event can still be remembered—but without the same emotional charge.
Over time, as key memories are reprocessed, symptoms of trauma tend to ease, distressing symptoms become alleviated and more balanced ways of thinking and relating emerge.
EMDR targets the root memories behind these patterns, helping the nervous system release the emotional “charge” that keeps them active.
As that charge is released, there’s space for old, unhelpful beliefs to shift and be replaced with new, more supportive ways of seeing yourself, others, and the world.
EMDR doesn’t just manage symptoms—it helps resolve them at their source, supporting lasting emotional healing and nervous system regulation leading to more manageable symptoms or alleviation of symptoms.
Is EMDR Therapy only for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
No. While EMDR is widely recognised as one of the most effective treatments for PTSD, it’s also helpful for many other issues rooted in difficult or distressing life experiences.
These may include anxiety, panic, phobias, depression, grief, low self-esteem, and addictions.
Essentially, EMDR can be used whenever past experiences continue to influence how you think, feel, or respond in the present.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
The number of EMDR sessions varies depending on each person’s needs and the complexity of their history.
Some single-event traumas may be resolved in 3–6 sessions, while others require 10 or more to fully process.
For those with complex trauma—such as ongoing childhood stress, abuse, or neglect—EMDR may be integrated with other therapeutic approaches over a longer period of time.
Your therapist will work with you to pace the process safely and collaboratively, ensuring that healing unfolds at a rhythm your nervous system can handle.
What does the research say about EMDR?
EMDR is one of the most researched and evidence-based therapies for trauma recovery.
Since its development by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, hundreds of clinical studies have confirmed its effectiveness.
- The World Health Organization (WHO), American Psychiatric Association (APA), and Australian Psychological Society (APS) all recognise EMDR as a first-line treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- Emerging evidence shows EMDR can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, panic, and grief, particularly when these stem from past adverse or overwhelming experiences.
- Studies also indicate improvements in self-esteem, emotional regulation, and relational trust following EMDR therapy.
Because EMDR helps the brain process stuck memories at their root, it offers not just symptom relief but a deep and lasting shift in how the nervous system responds to life.
