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When EMDR therapy begins, you will relax into a chair while your therapist alternates between some form of bilateral (two-sided) stimulation and periods of quiet.

  • During the bilateral stimulation, they will move their fingers (or some equivalent) back and forth in front of your eyes.
  • During the quiet times, your will close your eyes and allow your mind follow a natural path through your thoughts and your past experience.

After this process has been repeated several times — and your therapist feels that you have reached a good place to pause — they will gently bring you back into normal conversation.

Finally, you will be asked to scan your body, noticing any tension, tightness or other unusual physical sensations. Then, you will once again evaluate your level of distress around the experience.

NOTE: You will be awake and conscious throughout the entire process. At no point are you in a trance or asleep or otherwise unconscious. You are able to voluntarily pause or stop the process at any time.

To better understand EMDR therapy, please watch this short video: