If you're thinking about EMDR, you might be worried that you'll be asked to dive straight into your hardest memories. You won't. EMDR starts slowly and carefully, and you stay in control the whole way.
Your first session: getting to know you
The first session is about understanding what brings you to therapy and what you'd like to feel instead. We'll talk about your history, your current challenges and your goals, at whatever depth feels okay. You never have to share more than you're ready to.
Preparation comes first
Before any memory work, we spend time building your sense of safety and stability. This is called resourcing. You'll learn practical skills to calm your body and mind, such as:
- A calm or safe place you can bring to mind when things feel intense
- Grounding techniques to come back to the present moment
- Ways to set difficult feelings aside between sessions
For some people this stage takes a session or two. For others, especially with complex or long-term trauma, it takes longer. Both are completely normal. Going slowly is part of what makes EMDR work.
When reprocessing begins
Once you feel ready, we choose a target memory together. You'll briefly bring it to mind while doing bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or tapping, and notice what comes up. Between short sets, we check in. You can pause or stop at any time.
Over time, the memory usually loses its emotional charge. It doesn't disappear, but it starts to feel like something that happened in the past rather than something happening now.
How you might feel afterward
It's common to feel tired after an EMDR session, or to notice more vivid dreams or new thoughts and memories in the days after. These are signs your brain is still processing. We'll make sure you leave each session feeling grounded, and you can always reach out if something feels like too much.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on what you're working on. A single upsetting event may need fewer sessions, while childhood or long-term trauma usually takes more time. We'll review your progress together as we go.
You're in control
EMDR is something we do together, not something done to you. You set the pace, and you can ask questions at any point. If you'd like to talk about whether EMDR is right for you, book a free 15-minute consultation.