The EMDR Experience: What to Expect and How It Can Transform Your Mental Health

For the many people who suffer from trauma, anxiety, depression and other maladies of the body and psyche, there isn’t always some kind of ‘there’ there for psychoanalytic work or talk therapy. These approaches often fail to yield what seekers desire: a sense of relief, a feeling of resolution. A technique that has garnered considerable attention for its potential to deal directly with core aspects of distressing memories – experientially, not just cognitively – is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR.

But what is EMDR? How does it work, and what can you expect when you undergo it? Here, we’ll take you through the EMDR experience, unpack its transformative potential, and explain why more and more people are turning to this treatment to heal from emotional pain.

Understanding EMDR: A Different Approach to Healing

EMDR is Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, a highly specific therapy that works with the brain’s natural mechanism for ‘processing’ past events, to reprocess the experience of a trauma so it is no longer emotionally charged. We know the cognitive approach is not useful for trauma because the problem is not really in how people talk about what happened. Talking therapy relies on people’s ability to make sense of their own experience and they can’t do that because of the way their brain has been hijacked. EMDR is different because it encourages the neurobiological mechanisms that are necessary for assimilating past events to happen by adding in some type of bilateral stimulation to the talking – this could be the guided eye movements or tapping.

It doesn’t just help to ameliorate symptoms. Instead, it aims to change the way traumatic memories are stored in the brain, allowing sufferers to move past their distress more effectively. What helps the most, experts say, is that EMDR can help the brain reprocess these memories. It can turn down the emotional charge and help integrate the experience in a healthier way.

What to Expect During an EMDR Session

This can all seem a bit mysterious if you’re new to EMDR, and you might wonder what it will be like to sit with your eyes moving or your hands tapping and think about your worst memories. First, the process is very structured, guided and designed to ensure your safety and comfort at every stage.

Here’s a general overview of what happens during an EMDR session:

Intake Phase: The first step is to collect past and current information related to your experiences and challenges. This will help the facilitator understand your needs and create a plan for your sessions.

Laying a Secure Foundation: Before you start reprocessing, you’ll learn coping skills and techniques to help you stay grounded. This phase helps you feel secure before you begin accessing difficult memories.

Working on the Memory: For each session, you identify a specific traumatic memory and the beliefs and emotions associated with it. Then, while the memory is being repeatedly recalled, bilateral stimulation (such as moving your eyes from side to side) can desensitise the memory and assist in its reprocessing.

Stepping into Positive Beliefs: When the emotional charges are removed, they can shift into a set of positive beliefs that enhance self-confidence and self-esteem in relation to the event.

Checking Physical Feelings: Then you’ll check to make sure you do not have any physical feelings related to the memory so that you know that you have completed the reprocessing.

Calm Conclusion: Every session concludes with techniques to leave you feeling calm and settled, so you can exit the session feeling grounded and ready to continue your day.

The Benefits of EMDR: More Than Just Reducing Symptoms

One of its clearest strengths is that it is an extremely fast, long-lasting treatment for a wide variety of psychological and emotional issues. Here’s why EMDR is making such a huge impact:

Heal Yourself: EMDR is especially useful for people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or any other kind of trauma, to reduce the vividness of memories so that they can leave them in the past and feel whole again.

Anxiety and depression are not just managed, but actually reduced by resolving the underlying memories and associated beliefs that are keeping them alive. EMDR brings about a richer and more permanent sense of relief and emotional equilibrium compared with other therapeutic approaches.

Enhancing Self-Esteem: As EMDR reprocesses negative self-beliefs, it naturally leads to improved self-esteem and self-confidence. Many people report that they are now better able to simply believe in themselves and move beyond their previously limiting thoughts and feelings.

Constructive Shift in Emotional Resilience: Because EMDR helps you regulate your emotional responses, you will be able to handle the stresses of life in a calmer, more rational way. This will be a constructive shift in emotional resilience that you will notice throughout all aspects of life, from relationships to work.

Versatile Application: EMDR is effective for a wide variety of problems beyond trauma: a phobia, a bereavement, a panic attack, even performance anxiety. This helps explain its success as a tool for self-development.

Real Stories: How EMDR Changes Lives

The only way to really get a sense of the efficacy of EMDR is to hear from the patients themselves. And my clients say EMDR changed their life for the better — removing fears, anxiety and trauma that other approaches were unable to overcome.

As one client told me: "I had panic attacks and paralysing anxiety for years. EMDR reprocessed memories that I never even realised were responsible for my anxiety. After several sessions, I felt lighter, more in control and able to breathe once again."

Such narratives are not uncommon – people who practice EMDR experience significant changes in their emotional lives, often within a matter of sessions. That speed of adaptation is unique to EMDR and illustrates how the treatment can transform mental health in new ways.

Why EMDR Works: The Science Behind the Success

Because there’s so much research regarding EMDR, we know it’s one of the best-validated therapies for trauma and PTSD. But how does it work? The answer comes back to how the brain deals with information. When a trauma occurs, the brain might not integrate it – it can kind of get frozen in time and stay intact with the original emotional charge. That unprocessed memory continues to elicit an emotional and physiological response long after the traumatic event.

EMDR moves those memories out of the stuck place where they have been trapped by reprocessing them, and thus changing how they are encoded in the brain and the emotions associated with them. Using this bilateral stimulation, EMDR helps us integrate that memory into a more healthy place in our brain by turning down the volume on the emotion associated with that memory and thus healing the past.

Is EMDR Right for You? Key Considerations

Its flexibility means that EMDR may be helpful to many people, but it’s ultimately up to you whether the approach is a good fit for your needs and comfort level. If you’ve been experiencing struggles related to trauma, anxiety, depression, or other forms of psychological distress, EMDR provides a structured and powerful way of addressing your issues at their source.

Nevertheless, as with any model, consider having a consultation to highlight your circumstances and consider whether EMDR is suitable for you. A facilitator can help you to understand how EMDR might be helpful to you, and what you can expect from the experience.

Getting Started with EMDR

If you’re ready to try EMDR, the first step is to contact a qualified EMDR therapist and schedule an initial consultation to discuss your needs, answer any questions you may have, and make a plan for moving forward. With EMDR, you’re not just managing your symptoms – you’re healing from the emotional core of your distress and laying the foundation for a more resilient future.

Ready to Transform Your Mental Health? Reach Out to Book a Session

If you’re ready to reclaim your peace of mind for the rest of your life, EMDR could be the key. Should you choose to work with Nataly Donnelly at Wellness Practices, she’ll guide you compassionately and gently through the reprocessing of those old painful memories. Her private practice offers a safe space to regain your strength and freedom.

If you are ready to stop unnecessarily struggling with past traumas and emotional distress, contact us today to schedule a session or arrange for a free consultation to learn more about how EMDR can help you to become the healthiest, happiest version of yourself.