Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
If you are interested in counseling using EMDR, call OakHeart at 630-570-0050 or 779-201-6440 or email us at [email protected]. We have counselors, psychologists, and social workers available to help you at one of our locations in North Aurora, IL, Sycamore, IL, and/or via Telehealth Online Therapy Services serving Kane County, DeKalb County, Dupage County, and beyond.
What is EMDR?EMDR, short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a structured therapy developed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder and the effects of trauma. It was created by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and has since become one of the more widely used and widely recommended trauma treatments. In an EMDR session, you briefly bring a distressing memory to mind while engaging in sets of side-to-side eye movements, or another form of left-right stimulation such as taps or tones, guided by your therapist.
EMDR is distinctive among trauma therapies in that it does not require you to describe the traumatic event in detail, to repeatedly retell it, or to complete homework between sessions. That difference is part of why some people who have found other approaches difficult are drawn to it. How EMDR Is Thought to WorkThe model behind EMDR is called Adaptive Information Processing. The idea is that the mind ordinarily processes difficult experiences and files them away in a settled form, but that an overwhelming experience can get stuck, stored in a raw and unprocessed state along with the original images, beliefs, emotions, and body sensations. When something in the present brushes up against that unprocessed memory, it can come flooding back as though it were happening now. EMDR is intended to help the brain finish processing the memory, so that it can be recalled without the same charge.
The bilateral stimulation is thought to support this processing while you hold the memory in mind. There is genuine scientific debate about exactly how EMDR works, most especially the eye-movements. What is clearer, and what the major treatment guidelines reflect, is that EMDR as a whole helps reduce PTSD symptoms for many people. The Eight PhasesEMDR follows an eight-phase structure. It begins with history taking, where you and your therapist review your background and identify the memories to work on. Next is preparation, where your therapist explains the approach and helps you build grounding and coping skills, such as a calming mental image, so you have ways to steady yourself. In the assessment phase, you select a specific target memory and identify the negative belief attached to it, the more adaptive belief you would prefer, and the emotions and physical sensations that go with it.
The heart of the work is desensitization, where you hold the memory in mind during sets of bilateral stimulation and simply notice whatever arises, repeating until the memory loses its distress. This is followed by installation, which strengthens the preferred belief, and a body scan to check for and release any tension the memory still holds in the body. Each session ends with closure, returning you to a settled state, and later sessions begin with reevaluation, reviewing progress and deciding what to focus on next. Across treatment, EMDR attends to three time frames: the past memories at the root of the difficulty, the present situations that trigger distress, and the way you want to be able to respond in the future. |
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What Does the Evidence Say?
EMDR is recommended as a treatment for PTSD by a number of major bodies, including the World Health Organization, the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, and the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The American Psychological Association also includes it among recommended treatments, though with a more conditional rating than it gives certain other trauma therapies such as Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure.
What EMDR Can Help With
EMDR's primary and best-supported use is PTSD, and it is applied across the range of traumas that lead to it, whether a single event or repeated experiences, and whether the trauma was recent or many years ago. It is also used for trauma-related difficulties more broadly.
Beyond trauma, EMDR is increasingly explored for other concerns, including anxiety, phobias, grief, and depression, though the evidence in those areas is less established than it is for PTSD. Whether EMDR is a good fit for what you are dealing with is something to sort out in an assessment. You can read more about the conditions this work addresses on our PTSD and Trauma pages.
Beyond trauma, EMDR is increasingly explored for other concerns, including anxiety, phobias, grief, and depression, though the evidence in those areas is less established than it is for PTSD. Whether EMDR is a good fit for what you are dealing with is something to sort out in an assessment. You can read more about the conditions this work addresses on our PTSD and Trauma pages.
How EMDR Differs from Other Trauma Treatments
EMDR is one of several trauma-focused therapies with research support, and the differences come down to method. Prolonged Exposure works mainly by helping you approach trauma memories and avoided situations repeatedly until the fear subsides, and it involves detailed, sustained engagement with the memory. Cognitive Processing Therapy works mainly by examining and shifting the beliefs you have formed about the trauma. EMDR involves briefer attention to the memory paired with bilateral stimulation, and notably does not require detailed verbal recounting, direct challenging of beliefs, prolonged exposure, or between-session homework in the way those approaches often do.
All three are effective, and the better choice often comes down to the person and what fits them. Your clinician can help you weigh the options.
All three are effective, and the better choice often comes down to the person and what fits them. Your clinician can help you weigh the options.
EMDR at OakHeart
EMDR requires specialized training, and it is offered by the clinicians on our team who have EMDR specific training. During your assessment, your clinician will talk with you about whether EMDR is a good fit for you, or whether another trauma-focused therapy, or a combination, makes more sense given your history and what you are looking for. EMDR is delivered in individual therapy, and you will meet one-to-one with your clinician for each session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I have to describe my trauma in detail?
Not in the way some other trauma therapies require. EMDR does involve bringing the memory to mind, but it does not depend on giving a detailed verbal account of what happened or retelling it repeatedly. Many people find this aspect makes EMDR feel more approachable.
Is EMDR going to be distressing?
Bringing up trauma-related material can be uncomfortable, particularly early on. EMDR is structured to manage this, including a preparation phase that builds coping skills before any processing begins, and a closure step at the end of each session to help you leave settled. Your therapist will work at a pace you can manage.
My trauma happened a long time ago. Can EMDR still help?
Yes. EMDR does not depend on the trauma being recent, and people who have carried these effects for years can respond to it.
How is EMDR different from CPT or Prolonged Exposure?
All three are trauma-focused and effective. EMDR pairs brief attention to the memory with bilateral stimulation and does not require detailed recounting or homework. Prolonged Exposure works through sustained, repeated approach to the memory and avoided situations. CPT works by changing the beliefs formed about the trauma. Your clinician can help you decide which fits best.
Is EMDR available via telehealth? Y
es. EMDR can be delivered via telehealth, and OakHeart offers trauma treatment via telehealth throughout Illinois in addition to in-person sessions at our North Aurora and Sycamore locations.
Our team of licensed psychologists, counselors, and social workers in North Aurora and Sycamore, Illinois provides evidence-based trauma treatment, including EMDR, to clients throughout Kane County, DeKalb County, DuPage County, and the surrounding Chicago suburbs, with in-person and telehealth options throughout Illinois.
Not in the way some other trauma therapies require. EMDR does involve bringing the memory to mind, but it does not depend on giving a detailed verbal account of what happened or retelling it repeatedly. Many people find this aspect makes EMDR feel more approachable.
Is EMDR going to be distressing?
Bringing up trauma-related material can be uncomfortable, particularly early on. EMDR is structured to manage this, including a preparation phase that builds coping skills before any processing begins, and a closure step at the end of each session to help you leave settled. Your therapist will work at a pace you can manage.
My trauma happened a long time ago. Can EMDR still help?
Yes. EMDR does not depend on the trauma being recent, and people who have carried these effects for years can respond to it.
How is EMDR different from CPT or Prolonged Exposure?
All three are trauma-focused and effective. EMDR pairs brief attention to the memory with bilateral stimulation and does not require detailed recounting or homework. Prolonged Exposure works through sustained, repeated approach to the memory and avoided situations. CPT works by changing the beliefs formed about the trauma. Your clinician can help you decide which fits best.
Is EMDR available via telehealth? Y
es. EMDR can be delivered via telehealth, and OakHeart offers trauma treatment via telehealth throughout Illinois in addition to in-person sessions at our North Aurora and Sycamore locations.
Our team of licensed psychologists, counselors, and social workers in North Aurora and Sycamore, Illinois provides evidence-based trauma treatment, including EMDR, to clients throughout Kane County, DeKalb County, DuPage County, and the surrounding Chicago suburbs, with in-person and telehealth options throughout Illinois.
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References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. American Psychological Association.
Shapiro, F. (2002). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): Information processing in the treatment of trauma. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(8), 933-946.
Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
World Health Organization. (2013). Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress. World Health Organization.
Shapiro, F. (2002). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): Information processing in the treatment of trauma. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(8), 933-946.
Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
World Health Organization. (2013). Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress. World Health Organization.
