What to Expect During Your First EMDR Therapy Session

What is Trauma?

Here is your step by step guide to feel prepared and get the most out of your EMDR therapy.

• What happens during your first EMDR session
• Step-by-step EMDR therapy process
• How will you feel: Common emotional and physical reactions
• Healing at your pace
• How to prepare for your first EMDR session
• Next steps

Starting EMDR: What happens in your first EMDR session

Beginning therapy can feel relieving and hopeful but also anxiety provoking and a bit overwhelming. Brain-based, mind body therapies like EMDR, brainspotting and somatic therapy are not like traditional talk therapy. You won’t be telling your story repeatedly trying to ‘just let it go’ and think your way out of discomfort. These therapies are experiential rather than solely insight driven, which is encouraging because change happens at the level of experience, not insight.

You might wonder what the process involves, how you will feel, and whether it will be uncomfortable. EMDR is a structured, evidence-based approach. Each session typically lasts 50 – 80 minutes and can be done in person or virtually.

During your first EMDR session you and your therapist will:

• Discuss your history and what made you decide to come to therapy at this time

• Identify your goals and areas of concern

• Explore key issues and triggers related to what you want to work on

• Learn grounding tools and ways to self-regulate between sessions

Your first session typically doesn’t involve reprocessing painful memories yet. Instead, you will be focusing on building connection, exploring

Step-by-Step: How an EMDR session works

The EMDR process follows eight structured phases. Here is what to expect.

1. History

   you and your therapist will discuss your background to identify the specific issues, triggers and areas to focus on.

2. Preparation

   You will learn relaxation and grounding practices to help manage emotions during and between sessions.

3. Assessment

   You and your therapist will identify a specific issue and identify correlating image, emotion, body sensations and limiting belief.

4. Desensitization & Reprocessing

   You will begin bilateral stimulation (tactile tapping, eye movements or auditory tones) to reprocess the issue.

5. Installation

   You will identify and strengthen a new positive belief

6. Body Scan

   Your therapist will help you identify any residual sensations or areas of tension

7. Closure

   Each session ends with grounding

8. Re-evaluation

   At the beginning of your next session, you will review what you have noticed, areas of progress and decide what to move forward on.

How Will You Feel: Common emotional and physical reactions to expect during EMDR therapy

You may experience a range of emotions during and after an EMDR session. As your brain and body reprocess past experiences, feelings will arise to be processed and released. This is an important part of the healing process. During or after EMDR you may experience:

• Body sensations such as warmth, tingling, heaviness, lightness or contraction

• Stomach and digestive activation such as gurgling, butterflies or pressure

• A range of emotions such as grief, sadness, anger, fear, guilt or shame

• Fatigue or lethargy as if you had a brain body workout

• Awkward and wondering if you are doing it right

• Emotional whiplash as you may move from tears to laughter to anger in a short time

• Relief as the body begins to release pent up, residual tension

• Curious about what is actually happening and is it really working

• A sense of lightness, relaxation and calm

• Openness, expansion and compassion

These are all indicators that your nervous system is processing, reorganizing and integrating change. Your therapist will support you with grounding tools and practices to feel present and safe throughout the entire process.

Healing at Your Pace

EMDR is an evidence-based, trauma informed therapy. At any time if things feel too intense, you can ask your therapist to slow things down, pause or stop the process. Healing happens at your pace and readiness. EMDR therapists are trained to support you at a pace that prevents re-traumatization and allows you to feel safe and in control.

How to Prepare for Your First EMDR Session

Taking some time to feel prepared can help your mind and body feel more grounded and ready.

• Write down your goals, questions and issues that matter to you most.

• Get a good night’s sleep and stay hydrated

• Nourish your body with a balanced meal for energy and presence

• Avoid substances or alcohol

Schedule Your First EMDR Session Today

Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation to see how we can help.