Unlocking Relief: How EMDR Therapy Can Transform Your Life

Have you or someone you care about been struggling with painful memories, anxiety, or trauma? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, known as EMDR, is one therapy worth understanding. This article explains what EMDR is, how it works, and how to know if it might be a fit for you.

What Is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR therapy helps people process and move past distressing memories. Psychologist Francine Shapiro developed it in the late 1980s, and it was first used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Today, therapists also use it for anxiety, low self-esteem, and complex trauma.

During a session, a trained therapist guides you to recall a troubling memory while you follow a specific pattern, usually by tracking the therapist’s hand movements, a moving light, or gentle taps. This is called bilateral stimulation. Researchers are still studying exactly why this helps. One leading theory is that it works in a similar way to what happens during rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep, when the brain naturally processes the day’s experiences.

At our Mississauga clinic, therapists Nesrine Riskalla and Lisa Harriott are trained in EMDR.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

EMDR therapy involves a structured eight-step process designed to support you throughout your healing:

History and Treatment Planning: Your therapist gets to know your story, and together you identify the memories or issues you’ll focus on.
Preparation: You’ll learn stress-management techniques and get comfortable with the EMDR process.
Assessment: Together, you identify specific memories and the emotions tied to them.
Desensitization: Guided eye movements help your brain process distressing memories, reducing their emotional impact.
Installation: Positive beliefs, like “I’m safe now,” replace negative thoughts and help reinforce your progress.
Body Scan: Your therapist checks to ensure your body no longer holds tension related to the processed memories.
Closure: Each session ends calmly, ensuring you leave feeling safe and balanced.
Re-evaluation: Future sessions will revisit your progress and address any lingering issues.

What Happens During an EMDR Session?

Knowing what to expect can help ease any nerves going in. Here’s what you can typically expect:

Preparation: At the start of the session, your therapist will gently help you pinpoint specific memories or issues you’d like to address. They’ll ensure you feel safe, supported, and comfortable before moving forward.

Stimulation: You’ll be guided to engage in bilateral stimulation—such as following gentle eye movements, listening to soft sounds, or experiencing gentle taps—while recalling targeted memories. Your therapist will carefully monitor your comfort throughout.

Processing: As the bilateral stimulation occurs, your brain naturally reframes and lessens the emotional intensity of troubling memories. Your therapist remains attentive and supportive, ensuring the pace feels manageable for you.

Integration: At the end of the session, your therapist will help you reflect on any new insights you’ve gained and discuss practical ways to integrate these insights into your daily life, reinforcing your healing and growth.

Who Can Benefit from EMDR Therapy?

EMDR can help many different people, including:

Trauma survivors.** People who’ve lived through accidents, abuse, or disasters often find relief from PTSD symptoms.
People living with anxiety**, especially when it’s connected to past experiences.
People working through low self-esteem.** EMDR can help shift long-held negative beliefs about yourself.
People with complex trauma**, meaning more than one difficult experience over time.
People without a major trauma history** who want to work through a specific memory or belief that still affects them.

Why Choose EMDR Therapy?

EMDR is one of the more studied therapies for PTSD. A 2013 Cochrane review looked at psychological therapies for chronic PTSD in adults. It found that EMDR and trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, a talk-based approach, were about equally effective right after treatment, and both worked better than non-trauma-focused therapies in the months that followed (Bisson et al., 2013).

The World Health Organization’s 2013 guideline for stress-related conditions recommends EMDR for adults with PTSD, alongside trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy. The American Psychological Association also includes EMDR among its recommended treatments for adult PTSD.

EMDR addresses the physical responses that come with trauma as well as the thoughts and feelings around it, not just one or the other.

Real-Life Example: Overcoming Fear

Here’s an example of how EMDR might help with a specific fear. Someone who avoids driving after a car accident might, over several EMDR sessions, work with their therapist to safely revisit the memory of the accident a little at a time. As the memory’s emotional charge lessens, many people find they’re able to get back behind the wheel, sometimes starting with short, familiar drives and building from there.

Talk to Someone About EMDR

If you’re thinking about EMDR, our EMDR-trained therapists, Nesrine Riskalla or Lisa Harriott,offer a free 15-minute consultation, or you can book your first session directly. We work with clients across Mississauga, Brampton, and Peel Region, in person and online.

Email us or call us at 905-214-7363. Healing is closer than you think!