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EMDR Therapy for trauma: What to expect and how do I know if I’m ready?  

This blog has been prepared for you by Registered Psychologist, Dae Bailey.

If you have gone through something painful, you may still be affected by it long after it’s over. When something reminds you of the trauma, your brain and body may react as if it’s happening again right now. Nightmares, flashbacks, dissociation, or unexplained pain and fatigue; these are some of the many ways trauma continues to impact people. In moments like these, your brain can’t tell the difference between past and present. It may even feel like the trauma never ends.  

This is where EMDR therapy comes in.  

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR therapy has been around since the 1980’s, and the research is strong – EMDR has been shown over and over again to be effective for treating trauma. 

So, how does it work? EMDR therapy is based on the theory that traumatic events aren’t properly processed in the brain when they happen. The therapy works by using eye movements to reprocess traumatic memories and change the way they are stored in the brain, which makes them less painful (also called desensitization – see how the acronym EMDR comes together?). This helps you make new meaning of the past, so you can think of the memories without re-experiencing the overwhelming emotions or pain.  

What happens in EMDR therapy? 

Every EMDR session is unique, because there’s no set path for healing trauma. In short, your therapist will ask you to think of a traumatic memory while they guide your eyes left and right. There are some key steps for each memory that you process: 

  1. Think of a troubling memory and identify the most painful moment, as if you were taking a screenshot of it. 
  2. Identify a negative belief connected to this moment that represents what your brain learned after going through it. Your therapist may ask something like “what does that moment say about you?” 
  3. Identify a new belief to work towards as you process the memory. Your therapist may ask something like “what would you rather believe in this moment instead?” 
  4. Identify the emotions and body sensations linked to that moment. 
  5. Hold in your mind the image, the belief, and the emotions while the therapist guides your eyes left and right. Some therapists may use their hands to guide your eyes, others may use an object or technology. Or, instead of eye movements, left-to-right audio or tapping can be used. 
  6. Allow yourself to “go with” whatever comes to mind, and just notice what happens. There’s a metaphor I like to use for this: imagine you are on a train watching the scenery out the window, just noticing whatever goes by. Your therapist will be there to help you process, and every now and then they will ask you what you are noticing. Notice, and go with that. 
  7. This process will be repeated until the memory is not as painful. This can happen in just one session, but it may take many more than one session.

If you are reading along and thinking to yourself: ‘Just thinking about trauma memories is so painful, I’m not sure I’m ready for EMDR therapy!’, I want you to know this is very a normal way to be feeling.  

When in therapy for EMDR, you won’t dive into the memory processing right away, for this exact reason. Before working with the trauma, your therapist will prepare you for EMDR by going through information, strategies, and tools with you. Your circumstances have to be stable (or stable enough) for healing trauma to be possible. As I often say to my clients: “You are going through a lot already. We have to make sure you can handle everything you’re already going through, and anything else that may come up while we are processing trauma. We won’t start reprocessing until you’re feeling ready.” 

Recovery is complex. Healing is not a linear journey. It’s common for people to do a lot of preparation, then start EMDR, and then need more preparation before continuing. It’s very normal to need to build more safety and stabilisation as new challenges emerge. 

If you would like to start the journey of EMDR to heal from your past, reach out to us at Haven Psychology. Many of our psychologists have training in EMDR (and other trauma modalities) and can help you reprocess traumatic memories in a safe way. Reach out via our Contact Us page or call 1300 442 836, and we can talk about if trauma therapy may be the right choice for you.