What EMDR Is and What It's For: The 8 Phases Explained

EMDR is one of the therapies people ask me about most in session, especially since it's been talked about in the media and on social media. The question is usually the same: "What exactly is EMDR and what is it for?". In this article I'll explain it in plain words: what it is, what it's based on, how its eight phases work, and when it can help you. As a General Health Psychologist (registration number M-37719) and EMDR specialist, it's one of the tools I use most when there is trauma involved.

What EMDR Is

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a therapeutic approach developed in the late 1980s to treat the aftermath of painful or traumatic experiences. It is backed by leading health organizations and is used all over the world, especially for trauma and post-traumatic stress.

Its starting idea is simple yet powerful: when we go through something very intense or threatening, the memory sometimes isn't fully processed and gets "stuck" in our memory with all of its emotional charge. That's why, years later, an image, a smell, or a situation can reactivate the distress as if it were happening all over again. EMDR helps the brain to reprocess that memory so it can be integrated in a more adaptive way and stop hurting the way it used to.

What EMDR Is For

EMDR doesn't erase memories or make you forget what you went through. What it does is reduce their charge: the event is still there, but it stops overwhelming you, stops causing distress, and stops shaping the way you relate to others today. I tend to turn to it in cases such as:

• ✓ Trauma and post-traumatic stress after an accident, an assault, or a loss.
• ✓ Painful childhood experiences that still weigh on adult life.
• ✓ Complicated grief and breakups that are hard to work through.
• ✓ Anxiety, fears, or blocks rooted in a specific experience.
• ✓ Patterns of attachment and relating shaped by early wounds.

That's precisely why EMDR fits so well with work on bonds and relationships: when there are unprocessed experiences behind a relationship that hurts us, reprocessing them helps stop the patterns from repeating.

How It Works: The 8 Phases of EMDR

EMDR isn't just about "moving your eyes". It's a process structured in eight phases that we move through carefully and at your own pace:

1. Client history. We get to know each other, I understand your story, and together we identify which memories or situations are worth working on.
2. Preparation. I explain how the method works and we learn stabilization resources so you feel safe throughout the process.
3. Assessment. We choose a specific memory and explore the image, the associated negative belief, the emotions, and the physical sensations it brings up.
4. Desensitization. This is where bilateral stimulation comes in (eye movements, sounds, or alternating taps) while the memory stays present. It's the phase in which the distress begins to ease.
5. Installation. We reinforce a positive, more realistic belief to replace the negative one ("it was real, but it's over now", "I did what I could").
6. Body scan. We check that the body no longer holds any tension or distress linked to the memory.
7. Closure. We end each session leaving you in a state of calm, with resources to regulate yourself between sessions.
8. Reevaluation. In the following session we review what we worked on to confirm the progress and decide on the next step.

What a Session Feels Like

Many people arrive thinking they're going to "relive" the worst of their story. The reality is gentler: there's no need to recount every detail or to re-expose yourself in a raw way. We always work from a foundation of safety, and before touching anything difficult we spend time on preparation. The number of sessions depends on each person and on the complexity of what they bring; it isn't a miracle technique or an instant one, but it is effective work when it's done well and given time.

If You Think EMDR Could Help You

If there's something from your past that still weighs on your present, EMDR can be a way to release that burden. In the EMDR therapy I offer, we work step by step, without rushing and adapting to what you need. What matters isn't the technique itself, but that you find a safe space where you can look at what's difficult with someone by your side.