Therapy approach
EMDR is one of the most studied therapies for post-traumatic stress. It uses short bursts of guided eye movements (or tapping, or sounds) while you bring a difficult memory to mind. Over a few sessions, the memory loses its sting, even though you remember exactly what happened.
EMDR is short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. The name is a mouthful. The idea is simpler. When something overwhelming happens, your brain sometimes does not get to fully process the event. The memory gets stored in raw form, so that anything that reminds you of it (a smell, a tone of voice, a date on the calendar) can drop you back into how it felt at the time. EMDR helps your brain finish processing the memory so it becomes a normal part of your story.
EMDR was developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. She noticed that her own difficult thoughts seemed less sharp when she was moving her eyes back and forth. She turned the observation into a structured eight-phase protocol that has now been tested in dozens of randomised trials.
You do not have to retell the whole story in detail. EMDR does ask you to bring the memory to mind, but most of the work happens in short sets of bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping on your knees, or alternating sounds in headphones) with brief check-ins in between. Many people say it feels less retraumatising than expected.
Imagine you were rear-ended at a red light two years ago. The collision itself was minor. The other driver got out and screamed at you. You were fine physically, but ever since, your stomach drops at every red light and you have started avoiding the highway entirely.
In an EMDR session you would bring the memory to mind: the moment of impact, the screaming face, the helpless feeling of being trapped in your seat. Your therapist would ask you to notice the worst part of the image and rate how distressing it feels today. Then you would track their fingers (or a light bar) with your eyes for about 30 seconds while letting whatever comes up come up.
The image often shifts in unexpected ways. The face may get smaller. New thoughts may surface ("I am safe now," "It was not my fault"). After several sets of bilateral movement, most people find that the memory is still there, but the body-level reaction is gone. The red light becomes just a red light again.
EMDR has the strongest evidence for single-event trauma. It is also used for complex trauma, anxiety, performance blocks, and grief, often as part of a broader treatment plan.
EMDR follows a defined eight-phase protocol. Early sessions build safety and a target list. Reprocessing sessions follow a predictable arc.
You and your therapist map what you want to work on and decide which memories to target. Some clients have one event in mind. Others bring a longer list. Your therapist also screens for whether EMDR is the right starting point or whether other groundwork comes first.
You learn calming and grounding skills so you can pause reprocessing if it gets intense. This is sometimes called installing a "safe place" or "calm place" through guided imagery plus bilateral stimulation. Building these skills first means the heavier work later is safer.
You bring the target memory to mind with a specific image, the worst negative belief about yourself it carries ("I am powerless"), and a more adaptive belief you want to grow toward ("I did the best I could"). Then sets of bilateral stimulation follow, with brief check-ins where you say what came up. Your therapist does not lead the content; they hold the structure while your brain does the processing.
Every session ends with a return to baseline. If a memory is not fully resolved, you and your therapist close the work down with grounding so you can leave the room safely. The same memory can be picked up again next session.
You check whether the work from last session held. Sometimes more processing happens between sessions, in dreams or in everyday moments. You and your therapist decide whether to continue with the same target or move to the next one.
EMDR assumes that unprocessed memories carry the original sensations, emotions, and beliefs. Processing them with bilateral stimulation moves them into ordinary memory.
Your therapist does not tell you what to think during the sets. You report what arises and the next set follows that thread. Two clients with the same target memory can have very different sessions.
Reprocessing is never started before you have grounding skills strong enough to use them. The point is not to retraumatise; the point is to finish what got stuck.
EMDR assumes your mind has a natural ability to heal, like a wound that closes when you stop reopening it. The protocol gets the conditions right; the mind does the actual healing.
EMDR is recognised as a first-line treatment for post-traumatic stress by the World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, and the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. It has been tested in over 30 randomised controlled trials.
A 2018 meta-analysis by Chen and colleagues reviewed 26 trials and found EMDR effective for adults with PTSD, with effect sizes comparable to trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy. The bilateral stimulation component appears to add something beyond exposure alone, though researchers are still studying why.
Several of our clinicians draw on EMDR in their practice. The right match for you depends on more than just the approach, so we encourage you to read the profiles and pick whose voice and focus feels closest to what you are looking for. The first session with any Saalvio therapist is free, and you can switch if it is not a good fit.
No. EMDR works equally well with tapping (alternating taps on your knees or shoulders) or with alternating sounds through headphones. Your therapist will pick the form of bilateral stimulation that works best for you.
No. EMDR does not erase memories. You will still remember what happened. What changes is the intensity of the body-level reaction. The memory becomes something that happened, instead of something that is still happening every time you think of it.
Both have strong evidence for post-traumatic stress. Trauma-focused CBT relies heavily on putting the trauma into words and challenging unhelpful beliefs about it. EMDR uses less talk and more guided bilateral stimulation, which some clients find easier when the trauma is hard to put into words. Many therapists offer both and pick based on what fits the person.
EMDR can stir up strong feelings between sessions. This is part of the work, not a sign it is going wrong. Your therapist will not start reprocessing before you have grounding skills, and every session ends with closure so you leave stable. If anything feels off, you tell your therapist and the pace adjusts.
Both. EMDR for complex or developmental trauma takes longer (often 20 to 50 sessions or more) and usually starts with extensive preparation before any reprocessing. There are specialised EMDR protocols for complex trauma. If complex trauma is your situation, your Saalvio therapist will be honest about the time horizon and may recommend a phase-based approach.
Yes. Virtual EMDR uses bilateral tapping or a moving graphic on the screen and has good outcomes in research. All Saalvio sessions are virtual through a secure video platform.
EMDR is a structured talk therapy for trauma and post-traumatic stress. Developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, it uses brief sets of side-to-side eye movements (or tapping or sounds) while you hold a distressing memory in mind. The process helps the brain finish processing memories that have stayed stuck.
After a stabilisation phase, the therapist asks you to bring a memory to mind while following a moving target with your eyes (or feeling alternating taps). You report what comes up between short sets. The work continues until the memory loses its charge. You do not have to give a detailed verbal account; the body and brain do most of the processing.
Often yes. EMDR delivered by a Registered Psychotherapist or Registered Social Worker is treated the same as other psychotherapy on most Canadian extended health plans. Saalvio does not bill insurers directly; we send a detailed receipt for you to submit to your extended health plan.
For a single recent trauma, many people see significant improvement in six to twelve sessions. For complex trauma or multiple events, the work takes longer (often three to twelve months) because there is more material to process and more stabilisation work needed first. Your therapist gives you an honest estimate after the first few sessions.
Yes. EMDR is recommended as a first-line treatment for PTSD by the World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, and most Canadian provincial trauma services. Trauma-focused CBT has similar evidence. Either can work; preference often comes down to whether you would rather process verbally or with less talking.
Book a free first session with one of our therapists or join the waitlist if you are outside Ontario. There is no obligation to continue after the first session.
