What is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's a therapy approach that has been around since the late 1980s and has helped a lot of people work through experiences that other approaches couldn't quite reach.
If you've heard of it and want to understand it better, or if you're wondering whether it might help you, this is a good place to start.
It's not about forgetting
One of the first things I tell people when I explain EMDR is this: we can't undo the past. We're not trying to make something that happened disappear, or pretend it didn't happen, or forget it. That's not what EMDR does and honestly, that's not even the goal.
What EMDR does is change your relationship to what happened. The memory is still there, but the way you experience it now can shift. The charge around it can soften. The way it shows up in your body, your reactions, your day-to-day life can change. That's what we're going for.
A little history
EMDR was developed in the late 1980s by Dr. Francine Shapiro, a psychologist who discovered its effects somewhat by accident during a walk in the park. She noticed that certain eye movements seemed to reduce the distress she was feeling around some difficult thoughts, and began researching why.
It was first used with war veterans experiencing PTSD, and the results were significant. Since then, it has been extensively researched and applied to a wide range of experiences, from trauma and abuse to anxiety, fears, grief, and more. It is now recognized by the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association as an effective treatment for PTSD.
I want to give credit where it's due here because I think it matters. Dr. Shapiro spent her life developing and advocating for EMDR, and her work has helped an enormous number of people.
How it actually works
EMDR is based on the idea that our brains have a natural adaptive processing system. Most of the time, this system does its job. We go through experiences, we process them, we learn what we need to learn, and we move on. Even with some difficult experiences, in those moments, they might not be what we'd want, but we're able to get through them, and they don't overwhelm us in the present. In other words, the experience becomes part of our history without dominating our present.
But sometimes, especially when something is overwhelming or happens during a vulnerable time in our lives, that system gets stuck. The experience doesn't get processed in a way that allows us to move on. Instead, it stays activated. It shows up in how we react, how we feel in our bodies, how we see ourselves. It can feel like the past is constantly showing up in the present. In fact, when triggered in the present, our brains and bodies can feel the same or similar to how they felt in the past.
EMDR helps get that natural processing system moving again, in the safety of our sessions and at a pace that feels manageable for you.
What it looks like in practice
EMDR uses something called bilateral stimulation (or dual stimulation), which is eye movements, taps, or sounds that alternate between both sides of the body or brain. This bilateral stimulation is what activates the adaptive processing system. During processing, I'll guide you through a series of eye movements, taps, or sounds while you hold a distressing memory or experience in mind.
It might sound a little unusual at first. Many of my clients are surprised by how much better they feel. Some say, "it's weird… but I feel lighter." Others have said, "it just feels like something that happened in the past and that's it." Still others have said, "I didn't realize I could actually change the way I was thinking."
I want to be clear that EMDR is a structured approach with a specific protocol, but it isn't rigid. I tailor it to each person I work with. We don't jump straight into processing. We spend time building safety and stabilization first, making sure you have tools you can use between sessions and that you feel grounded and ready before we go anywhere hard.
Why I use it
I came to EMDR because I was always looking for the most effective tools I could offer the people I work with. I had colleagues who used it and spoke highly of it. I had friends who had experienced it in their own therapy and told me it changed things for them in ways other approaches hadn't.
I also had a background in trauma work and I could see, over time, that some of what people were experiencing wasn't getting fully reached by talk therapy alone. Something else was needed.
As part of my EMDR training, clinicians actually experience the therapy themselves as a client. I went through that process and felt firsthand how powerful it can be. Even though I knew the scientific evidence behind EMDR and had committed time and money to be trained in it, I was skeptical. But experiencing it myself was incredible. Watching other therapists go through the process as clients during training and seeing how effective it was reinforced everything I had hoped it would be. That experience stayed with me. It deepened my understanding of what I'm asking clients to do, and my confidence in the approach.
I have since seen EMDR work with a wide range of clients and a wide range of experiences. That continues to be true.
Who EMDR can help
EMDR was originally developed for PTSD, but it has since been shown to be effective for a much broader range of experiences. People have found it helpful for trauma from childhood or adult experiences, anxiety and fears, grief and loss, difficult life transitions, and recovery from addiction, particularly when unresolved trauma is part of the picture. It can also help with negative beliefs about yourself that feel stuck no matter how much you try to think your way out of them.
If you've been in therapy before and feel like something still hasn't shifted, EMDR might be worth exploring.
What to do next
If you're curious about whether EMDR might be right for you, the best first step is a conversation. You can reach me by email at shimon@shimoncohentherapy.com or by phone at (207) 200-1148. I'd love to hear from you.
