FAQ’S

Frequently Asked Questions about EMDR Therapy

 

 

Can EMDR help me if I don’t have “trauma?”

 

Yes. While EMDR was initially created and still primarily used as one of the most effective therapies for treating trauma, it has been found effective in helping clients struggling with anxiety, depression, phobias, and much more!

 

What’s a typical EMDR session like?

 

EMDR sessions typically range from 50-90 minutes depending on the therapist you are working with. Like any trauma therapy, EMDR can be extremely healing but also mentally and emotionally taxing. Because of this, we take great care and consideration in structuring sessions to maximize the healing benefits while also allowing you to complete each appointment feeling lighter and as positive as possible.

 

We’ve spent many years working with clients and have found 50-minute structured sessions with three main parts to be plenty of time to do effective trauma therapy that leaves you in a good mental/emotional space overall. The general structure is as follows but can and will be adjusted depending on your needs, for example, some folks may need more time in preparation phases while others may need more time in reprocessing phases. Nevertheless, the general process is as follows:

 

1. In the first part, you will spend approximately 10-20 minutes following up on and addressing any updates/ongoing life events or stressors to ensure you are heard, supported, and stabilized to make for the most effective EMDR work that day.

2. The second part takes approximately 20-30 minutes reprocessing your identified target event. This is where we “clear our” negative associations or experiences that come up in relationship to that event.

 

1. In the last part, your therapist will help you with closing down the session, following up on anything profound that came up and offering guided grounding and/or relaxation exercises if needed to ensure you leave the session in a good place overall.

 

I heard EMDR takes 8-12 sessions, is that true?

 

Yes and no. It’s true that clients can generally see and feel improvement within this timeframe. However, the extent to how that improvement looks (i.e., feeling less emotionally charged, reduced intrusive thoughts or flashbacks, etc.) will vary depending on each person’s history, current life stressors, and available coping tools as these can all impact the healing process.

 

A client with a complex trauma history versus a single event trauma will look quite different in terms of their healing though both are achievable given appropriate support and interventions. This is why we make it a point to address these factors each session to make the most of the time and work you’re doing.

 

How do I know if EMDR is working?

 

EMDR therapy is unlike talk therapy in the sense that assessing progress in talk therapy often involves conscious efforts to utilize learned skills when triggers happen. While this may be part of the process in the beginning, as clients move through the EMDR process they will often find themselves responding to stressful or previously triggering events unconsciously with more ease.

 

It’s more common for an EMDR client to meet with their therapist the following session describing how they were able to handle a situation well that generally would have been extremely difficult for them in the past. In other words, they didn’t have to work through their trigger as it was more so the trigger simply being removed. This can be extremely empowering and give hope to folks who sometimes wondered if things would ever change for them!

 

Can I do EMDR if can’t pinpoint a specific traumatic event?

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Yes. While having an identified target memory to work on before entering therapy can expedite the process, it’s not necessary for you to know beforehand. Our therapists are highly skilled at working from an EMDR lens to begin assessing potential target memories from the first appointment. You and your therapist will discuss your history and life themes developing a treatment plan to work on that is specifically tailored to you, your needs, and treatment goals.

 

In some cases, the process of developing a treatment plan simply takes a few sessions. In other cases, therapists may help clients identify what potential negative core beliefs, feelings, and triggers they might be holding and work with them to explore the past to find related root events. These roots can then be used to create a plan to work on. In rarer and more complex cases, clients may be dealing with repressed memories. Our therapists are trained to carefully and efficiently work with these types of traumas as well.

 

Can EMDR Therapy be done virtually?

 

Yes. While it was long thought that the only way to do EMDR was in-person, Covid-19 caused many practitioners to go virtual. It was during this time of collective transition and need, that they found EMDR can be just as effective virtually as in-person. There are also many benefits to doing EMDR virtually such as reduced associated time and cost with travel, ability to offer more flexible scheduling, and having your own creature comforts when doing trauma work that can actually make the process run more smoothly in some cases.

 

We’re here to help you work through the past so you can live a happier, more fulfilling, and mindful life. Reach out to schedule an appointment with any of our EMDR therapists today!