What an EMDR Session Looks Like
You’re curious about EMDR therapy… but also nervous.
So many of my clients come to me saying things like:
“I don’t really know what EMDR is.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to relive everything.”
“Is this like hypnosis?”
“Will it even work for me?”
If you’ve been carrying trauma, anxiety, or burnout for years, it makes sense that trying something new feels overwhelming. Especially something like EMDR, which doesn’t look or feel like traditional talk therapy.
This blog is here to give you a real, honest look at what an EMDR session feels like, so you can take the next step with more clarity and less fear.
EMDR Is Different From Just Talking About It
Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) isn’t about analyzing your story over and over. It’s not about forcing yourself to “think positive.” And it’s definitely not about re-traumatizing you.
Instead, EMDR helps your brain and body finally digest what’s been stuck (those memories, beliefs, and emotions you’ve had to suppress, numb, or avoid just to keep going).
If you’ve ever thought, “I know why I feel this way, but I still feel it,” EMDR is designed exactly for that.
Learn more about Trauma Therapy
What Actually Happens in an EMDR Session?
Here’s a step-by-step look at how sessions unfold when you work with me:
1. Checking In & Preparation
We always begin by grounding. Together, we’ll talk about what’s been coming up for you lately, check your “window of tolerance,” and practice calming strategies so you feel safe before we start processing.
This is where you’ll learn the tools that become your anchors outside of session too—like resourcing, guided imagery, and gentle nervous system regulation practices.
2. Identifying a Target
You don’t have to know exactly what to bring in. Together, we’ll choose a starting point—this might be a memory, an image, a body sensation, or a negative belief like:
“I’m not safe.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“If I let go, everything will fall apart.”
This step makes sure we’re not just chasing symptoms but going to the root of what keeps them alive.
3. Setting Up the Target
Here’s where we map it out:
The picture or memory that represents the issue
The negative belief you hold
How it feels in your body (tight chest, knot in your stomach, frozen feeling)
The emotions attached to it
This gives us a clear starting point.
4. Bilateral Stimulation (The “EM” in EMDR)
This is the part that makes EMDR different. We use something called bilateral stimulation—a way of engaging both sides of your brain to safely process what’s stuck.
In online sessions, this can look like:
Watching a moving dot or bar across your screen
Listening to alternating audio tones
Or gently tapping yourself on your shoulders or knees
You stay fully awake and in control. This isn’t hypnosis—it’s simply a way to help your brain unlock and reorganize memories that have been frozen in survival mode.
5. Processing
We move through sets of bilateral stimulation while you notice what comes up—thoughts, feelings, memories, or sensations.
You don’t have to tell me every detail. EMDR isn’t about retelling the story, it’s about letting your brain and body finish what was left incomplete.
My role is to keep you safe, grounded, and supported while your system does what it already knows how to do: heal.
6. Installation & Body Scan
Once the old belief starts to lose its grip, we strengthen a new one:
“I am safe now.”
“I am enough.”
“I can trust myself.”
We check in with your body to notice any remaining tension and gently release it.
7. Closing & Grounding
We always end with grounding practices so you leave feeling as calm and steady as possible. You won’t walk away raw and wide open. We make sure you’re ready to step back into your day.
Will I Lose Control or Have to Relive Everything?
This is one of the biggest fears people share. Here’s the truth:
You stay in control the entire time.
You can stop whenever you need to.
You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to.
EMDR isn’t about forcing you to relive the worst moments of your life. It’s about helping you feel safe enough to finally release them.
Why Clients Choose EMDR
Many of my clients come to me after trying years of talk therapy. They can explain their story inside and out. They know their triggers. They understand their patterns.
And yet—they still feel stuck.
That’s because insight doesn’t equal release. EMDR goes beyond analysis to help your brain and body actually process the trauma so it no longer runs the show.
Learn more about Trauma Therapy
What EMDR Feels Like
Clients often describe it as:
“Lighter, like I finally put something down I’ve been carrying for years.”
“I can breathe again.”
“It feels like my body finally caught up to what my mind already knew.”
You don’t leave with a bandaid...you leave with genuine shifts that ripple into your relationships, work, parenting, and self-trust.
Beyond the Session: Tools to Support You
Healing doesn’t only happen in session. That’s why I also create tools to support you in between.
You can explore calming resources, worksheets, and digital workbooks in my shop designed to help with anxiety, overwhelm, and emotional regulation.
These are the same tools I use with my clients to reinforce safety, self-trust, and nervous system balance.
Ready to Try EMDR?
If you’ve been carrying the weight of trauma, anxiety, or burnout, you don’t have to keep doing it alone.
I offer:
Weekly EMDR Therapy for ongoing support
EMDR Intensives for deeper, focused healing in less time
Anxiety Therapy for people-pleasers, perfectionists, and overthinkers who want to stop the cycle
Trauma Therapy to process the pain of what you couldn’t control
Your healing doesn’t have to be endless talking. With EMDR, we create space for your nervous system to finally exhale.
Final Thought
You’ve been strong for so long. But strength doesn’t have to mean carrying it all forever.
EMDR therapy gives you a safe way to finally release the weight of your past and feel free in your present.
Book a free 15-min consultation to see if EMDR is right for you.
