EMDR Therapist Shares About EMDR Therapy

By: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

You’ve been thinking about EMDR Therapy for a while. You've heard that it’s changed people’s lives. You’re tired of feeling anxious and on edge and you’ve heard that EMDR therapy can really help. You’re curious about EMDR therapy and have some questions.

As and Certified EMDR Therapist and an EMDRIA-approved EMDR Consultant, I’ve answered many questions for both therapists and clients. This blog includes many of the common questions I have answered along the way.

1. Why do you like using EMDR therapy with your clients?

EMDR therapy is a powerful brain therapy that helps people heal from anxiety, trauma, depression, panic disorders, somatic issues, and the list goes on and on. This therapy has relieved many of our clients of debilitating symptoms so that they can feel confident, calm, and connected in their lives. 

Not only that, EMDR has personally changed my life. I’ve worked through some major traumas that do not impact me anymore. I can think about them without getting anxious, overly emotional, or shutting down. I am completely free of the negative impacts.

2. When do you use EMDR Therapy?

Always! This answer requires a bit more context so you can understand my emphatic ‘always.’ 

First of all, I know when most people hear of EMDR therapy, they think of the eye movements that are associated with the processing of traumatic material. EMDR therapy is so much more than an intervention that uses eye movements. It is a theoretical model that provides a way to conceptualize why our clients feel so stuck, as well as a mechanism for healing at the root of the trauma.

3. How Does EMDR Therapy work?

When a difficult event happens, it can get locked in the brain and body with the original image, thoughts, perceptions, feelings, body sensations, sounds, and other sensory elements. It’s as if a part of us gets frozen in the traumatic past. When something comes along and reminds us (consciously or subconsciously) of that difficult event, we can react as if the event is happening now.  

The more cognitive and analytical part of the brain, the left part, can perhaps recognize that the reaction doesn’t fit the situation. However, that’s no match for the flood of emotional and physiological reactions that the right part of the brain feels when triggered. In the wake of trauma, the left and the right brain are not communicating effectively. 

This is where EMDR therapy is helpful. The bilateral stimulation in EMDR (eye movements, tapping, tones) helps the right and left brain communicate and process the difficult event from the past, so the nervous system can stop responding as if it is in danger today. 

EMDR therapy has an eight-phase approach. The first two phases and the last three phases look much like regular talk therapy. It is phased in 4 and 5 where the majority of the eye movements take place. 

Phases of EMDR Therapy

Phase 1 of EMDR Therapy: History

During phase 1 we focus on the history. We are understanding the client’s history and determining what from the past is still impacting the client and holding them back from living the life that they want. We are looking for shards of the past that are maladaptively stored in the client's thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and emotions.

Phase 2 of EMDR Therapy: Preparation

Preparation, we are developing resources that can help clients cope with their current daily stressors, as well as become tools for the deeper work that is involved in later phases. 

Our client’s capacity for self-regulation and the intensity of their past traumas will determine just how long we stay in phases one and two. This can take as little as one session or up to a year or more for severely traumatized people. As EMDR therapists, we are trained to assess a client’s readiness to move on to Phases 3-8.

Phases 3-8 can happen over the course of one session or many sessions.

Phase 3 of EMDR Therapy: Assessment

Phase 3 is determining specifically how memory is impacting a client. This phase occurs immediately prior to processing a traumatic event. 

Phase 4 of EMDR Therapy: Desensitization

Desensitization is the processing of the traumatic memory using bilateral stimulation. This is where eye movements most commonly happen. In recent EMDR history, we’ve learned that there are multiple ways to offer bilateral stimulation, with eye movements being one of the many. As EMDR therapists, we can use tapping, tones, vibration, self-touch, or other ways of bringing online the left and right brain through the senses. 

During this phase, our brain and body metabolize the aspects of maladaptively stored fragments of the past so that we can feel settled, calm, and in control. In other words, we process the maladaptive material so that it can become adaptive in our lives. We can then accept our past and learn and grow from our experiences.

Phase 5 of EMDR Therapy: Installation

In the installation, we spend time installing the positive shifts that occurred in phase 4. These positive shifts include a reduction in unpleasant body sensations, a change in perspective, a calm effect, and neutral images of self as it relates to the traumatic past.

Because the body is such an integral part of how trauma impacts us, as well as how we heal from trauma, we want to make sure all the traumatic past is processed and the positive shifts are fully integrated, so we move to Phase 6.

Phase 6 of EMDR Therapy: Body Scan

Phase 6 is the body scan, here we have the client hold all these positive shifts in mind and mindfully scan the body to make sure the processing is wholly complete. 

Phase 7 of EMDR Therapy: Closure

During Phase 7 we reached closure, and we spend some time talking about how the client experienced the shifts mentioned above. We ask about their biggest “takeaways” from the session and prepare clients for things that could come up prior to the next session.

Phase 8 of EMDR Therapy: Reevaluation

In Phase 8: Reevaluation, which usually occurs in the next session, we ask questions to make sure that all of the positive shifts that were experienced lasted throughout the week.

4. If a client is looking for a therapist that offers EMDR, how do they go about finding one? 

Finding the right EMDR therapist is very important. There are a few ways to get the search started. A person searching could go straight to the EMDRIA directory and search for a therapist in their area. Or a client can simply Google EMDR therapist near me.

Once the client has found someone they are interested in working with, the next crucial step is to call and schedule a consultation to make sure the therapist is a good fit.

5. What questions should I ask my EMDR Therapist before we begin?

How do you conceptualize helping me with my concerns? 

It is important that the client and therapist have a shared conceptualization of the problem and how it can be healed. 

How often is EMDR therapy recommended? 

At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, we see our clients weekly. Our experience shows that clients reach their goals sooner with weekly sessions. It is important that the client and therapist are on the same page with the frequency of visits before EMDR therapy begins.

What is your rate per session? 

It is important to determine whether working with this specific therapist is within the client’s budget.

What is your level of training? 

It is acceptable for a therapist to call themself “EMDR trained” after their first training weekend. I would suggest working with someone that has completed all of the Basic Training programs and is either Certified in EMDR therapy or working towards their certification. 

6. Is EMDR Therapy safe?

Because EMDR therapy can decrease psychological protective barriers between the right and left brain, we have to be cautious of high levels of dissociation. Dissociation is our brain’s natural way of allowing us to tolerate intolerable situations. 

As EMDR therapists, we would not want these psychological protective barriers to come down before the client’s system is ready. EMDR therapists are trained to assess the client’s propensity toward dissociating. If the client is highly dissociative, we would spend more time in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of EMDR therapy. Once the client can tolerate processing, then we move forward into Phase 3 and beyond. 

There are always ways to modify the processing that occurs in Phase 4 for highly dissociative clients, as well. 

For clients that have previously had seizures, it is not recommended to use eye movements, so clinicians are suggested to find an alternative bilateral stimulation, such as tapping. Because EMDR therapy is so heavily researched, there are many modifications to EMDR protocols to help support just about any scenario. 

If you have more questions about EMDR Therapy, read this article Is EMDR Therapy Right for You?

Ready to Begin EMDR Therapy Orlando?

If you’d like to learn more about EMDR Therapy at Mindful Living Counseling, reach out to us to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to explore how EMDR Therapy can help you heal so that you can put the past behind you.

Perhaps You’re not Ready. Want More Information on EMDR Therapy Orlando?

Perhaps you’re not ready to start EMDR Therapy and might want a little more information before you call, that’s okay! We understand that. Check out our team of specialized EMDR therapists that are here to help you and reach out if you have any questions. Make sure to check out our blogs where we publish many articles on EMDR, Trauma Therapy, Anxiety Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, Teen Therapy, and Toxic Relationship Therapy.

Looking to Read More on EMDR Therapy Orlando?

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Orlando Therapist Explains How EMDR Therapy Works

Orlando Therapist Explains What to Expect in EMDR Therapy

Orlando Therapist Answers the Question - What is EMDR Therapy?

Is EMDR Therapy Right for You?

Types of Counseling: What is EMDR?

Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando

Mindful Living Counseling understands that you may have other challenges you may struggle with. We offer a variety of therapy services such as Trauma Therapy, Anxiety Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, Teen Therapy, and Toxic Relationship Therapy. We also have Guided Meditations that you can enjoy at your leisure. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out!

About the Owner of Mindful Living Counseling

Orlando Therapist, Lauran Hahn, LMHC, specializes in working with clients who struggle with trauma. She also supports her clients with anxiety and healing from toxic relationships. Lauran Hahn, LMHC is also a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. When she is not working with her clients at Mindful Living Counseling, Lauran loves spending time with her family in Downtown Orlando!