EMDR Therapy: Definition & Examples

By Justine Saavedra, MS
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
Explore the background and history of EMDR. Discover the benefits of EMDR and learn what happens in an EMDR session.
*This page may include affiliate links; that means we earn from qualifying purchases of products.
Did you know that therapy is not a one size fits all service? Many factors can play into how effective therapy is for you, such as your relationship with your therapist and how often you attend sessions. Another factor that plays a huge role in how well the therapy works for you is the type of therapy you are engaging in. There are numerous types of therapy modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. 
These, and all other types of mental health treatment, follow specific guidelines about the best way to treat a client. Treatment can differ in many ways including the types of topics you focus on or the manner in which your therapist communicates with you. Because of these differences, you might need to try a few different kinds of therapy before you find the one that works best for you. One relatively new modality which has been shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of mental health disorders is called EMDR and will be discussed in more detail below.

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What Is EMDR Therapy? (A Definition)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of therapy that has gained popularity in recent years. It was developed in 1987 by a psychologist named Dr. Francine Shapiro who observed that certain eye movements could have an effect on disturbing memories (Oren & Solomon, 2012).  Dr. Shapiro hypothesized that these eye movements when performed while awake, can mimic the benefits of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) which happens when we sleep. She developed a protocol for EMDR and this new therapy modality spread like wildfire in the mental health community during the early 1990s. 

Early research on EMDR focused on treating war veterans and sexual assault victims and as a result, it has become a widely used treatment for different types of trauma. EMDR has also proven to be an effective treatment for other types of mental and physical conditions (Oren & Solomon, 2012). A core belief in EMDR is that dysfunctionally stored memories can often lead to outward physical and mental symptom manifestations. EMDR helps individuals reprocess these memories in such a way that they are not stored dysfunctionally but are rather fully processed and integrated back into the person’s psyche in a helpful manner.

Benefits of EMDR Therapy

Since it has been in use for over 30 years, there is a wealth of evidence on the effectiveness of EMDR. It can be used to treat several mental health disorders as well as physical health conditions. It is an effective, well-tolerated treatment modality for both clinicians and clients. It is also the most cost-efficient form of therapy for people with PTSD compared to eleven other types of treatment (Mavranezouli et al., 2020).

EMDR can be an effective treatment for:
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Phobias
  • Panic disorder
  • Generalized anxiety disorder
  • Body dysmorphic disorder
  • Chronic pain
  • Migraine headaches
  • Phantom limb pain (Oren & Solomon, 2012)

In addition to the proven effectiveness of EMDR versus other therapy modalities, there are other benefits as well. Namely, EMDR is much less burdensome to the person receiving treatment than traditional forms of therapy. As an example, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy typically requires 30-100 hours of homework in addition to sessions with the therapist, potentially re-exposing the client to trauma numerous times. In contrast, EMDR therapy is completed in the session and no homework is required. This leads to EMDR being a more tolerated therapy for both clients and clinicians (Arabia et al., 2011).

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is most likely unlike any other type of therapy that you’ve been exposed to in the past. While there are some components of traditional psychotherapy, such as having a conversation with your therapist, many things will be completely new—like learning the physical movements required in this therapy. In a nutshell, EMDR incorporates physical actions such as eye movements and hand taps which are designed to help people reprocess what are often painful memories (Shapiro, 2001). 

The thought is that these painful memories can often underlie current psychological difficulties and that by reprocessing the memories in a healthy way, the difficulties could be alleviated. This is based on a psychological concept called the adaptive information processing model. This model states that “memory networks of stored experiences are the basis of both human health and human pathology”(Oren & Solomon, 2012). 

Are you still having trouble picturing what this type of therapy might look like? The next section will outline the eight phases of an EMDR therapy session.

Video: EMDR Therapy: Understanding Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing

What Is EMDR Therapy Like?

In EMDR therapy, eight distinct phases occur during each session. These are described in brief detail below (Oren & Solomon, 2012). 

EMDR Phase 1 - Client History​
During this phase, the clinician will obtain a psychological history of the client. This can include current problems, future goals, and/or present difficulties. It is important to be open and honest with about what is bothering you in this phase.

EMDR Phase 2 - Preparation
The trust between clinician and client is an essential part of EMDR. During the preparation phase, the clinician will establish a relationship with the client by getting to know them better and explaining the EMDR process in detail. 

EMDR Phase 3 - Assessment
Each session focuses on a specific memory and the details of that memory are identified during this stage. The client is asked to relive details such as sounds, smells, and sights. The client should identify negative emotions associated with this memory as well as what positive emotions they want to replace these feelings with. 

EMDR Phase 4 - Desensitization
The client processes the painful or disturbing memory during this phase with guidance from the clinician. Processing includes changes in “sensory, cognitive, emotional, and somatic information. The goal of this phase is to bring the disturbance associated with the memory to the lowest possible level and enhance personal growth through the development of insight and new perspectives resulting in a new sense of self and world view” (Oren & Solomon, 2012). This is the phase that utilizes physical movements such as hand tapping or eye movements.

EMDR Phase 5 - Installation
After processing the negative emotions, this phase focuses on the new, positive beliefs around the memory. This facilitates integrating the memory into adaptive memory networks. 

EMDR Phase 6 - Body Scan
The clinician guides the client in a body scan to help identify and resolve any residual feelings in the body. The goal is to resolve all bodily sensations before the end of the session.

EMDR Phase 7 - Closure
During this phase, the clinician will tell the client what to expect after the EMDR session is completed. If the client still feels unstable, the clinician will help them relax before the session concludes. Clients may be asked to keep a diary between sessions to log how they feel.

EMDR Phase 8 - Reevaluation
Reevaluation occurs at the beginning of the next session. The clinician will assess how the treatment worked and talk about anything that might have happened between sessions.

Video: EMDR Therapy: Demonstration & Step-by-Step Walkthrough

EMDR Therapy Examples

  • ​Terry is a US Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Due to his combat experience, he is medically retired from the military with post-traumatic stress disorder. He does not respond to traditional therapy and his mental health starts to decline. A friend recommends EMDR to him as a way to re-process and reintegrate his painful memories from the war. After going to EMDR consistently for a while, Terry notices that his mental health has improved and that he can cope with life much better than before.
​​
  • Yesenia is a college student who is away from home for the first time when she starts to struggle with her classes. She had some traumatic events happen in her childhood and these memories often cause her emotional pain. Her college counseling center offers EMDR therapy and she utilizes this service. The EMDR helps her reprocess her painful childhood memories, her mental health improves, and she can move forward and get her degree.

EMDR Therapy for Trauma

People who experienced trauma were some of the first subjects who received treatment when the EMDR protocol was being developed. Therefore, trauma has been a major focus of this therapy modality right from the start. Trauma can occur in numerous forms including abuse, exposure to war, accidents, and other terrible situations. Sometimes exposure to trauma can cause someone to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, an often debilitating condition that can affect someone for months or even years. ​

EMDR Therapy for PTSD

There is a treasure trove of evidence for the effectiveness of EMDR in the treatment of PTSD. One meta-analysis looked at 70 studies assessing the psychological outcomes of various PTSD treatments. Their analysis found that EMDR achieved therapeutic effects equal to or sometimes exceeding traditional methods for PTSD (Bisson et al., 2013). In addition, EMDR was found to be the most cost-effective treatment for resolving symptoms of PTSD.

Video: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for PTSD

EMDR Therapy for Anxiety

EMDR can be an effective treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (Oren & Solomon, 2012). In addition, EMDR might be a good option for people who deal with performance anxiety. A case study found that a student with extreme performance anxiety who completed just three EMDR treatment sessions showed a marked improvement in their performance (Barker & Barker, 2007). The student reported less anxiety and blind presentation reviewers noted a marked improvement in her presentation post-EMDR. 

Training for EMDR Therapy

Learning to administer EMDR therapy is no small undertaking. According to the EMDR International Association, training consists of 20 hours of instructional material, 20 hours of supervised practicum, and 10 hours of consultation. This can take place over the course of weeks or days, depending upon the needs of the practitioner. Only people who are training to become or are currently licensed mental health professionals are eligible to complete this training. Once someone is an EMDR Trained Clinician, they can start using EMDR within their regular clinical practice (EMDR Basic Training, 2022).

Video: Becoming an EMDR Therapist

EMDR Therapy Cost

As with almost all mental health treatment, there is usually a cost involved. If you have health insurance, you may be able to get some of the cost covered through that. Otherwise, you will need to plan on paying out of pocket. The good news is that one study found that EMDR is the most cost-effective treatment for PTSD out of the eleven types of treatments analyzed, meaning if you struggle with PTSD and are looking for therapy, trying EMDR may be where you want to start to get the most value (Mavranezouli et al., 2020). 

The cost of EMDR can vary widely depending on how you receive the therapy. Traditional in-person EMDR sessions with a trained therapist can cost $100-$300 per session, online EMDR therapy costs $60-$90 per session, and self-administered online EMDR can cost $199 per month with access to unlimited sessions (Zolik, 2022). When deciding how to receive EMDR therapy, consider which option would be easiest to incorporate into your lifestyle and which one fits into your budget.

Articles Related to EMDR Therapy

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

Books Related to EMDR Therapy

If you’d like to keep learning more, here are a few books that you might be interested in.

Final Thoughts on EMDR Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of therapy developed in the late 1980s to treat people who have experienced trauma. The underlying belief in EMDR is that painful memories often underlie physical and psychological symptoms. By reliving and reprocessing these disturbing memories, we can reintegrate them into the psyche in a more positive, helpful manner. This helps relieve negative symptoms associated with painful memories. EMDR is an effective therapy modality for a variety of conditions including PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and chronic pain. You might want to try EMDR if you have memories that are disturbing to you. Try not to get discouraged when seeking out mental health treatment. Sometimes you may need to try numerous modalities before finding the one that works best for you. 

​If you want to give EMDR a try, check out the video below:

​Nature's EMDR

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