EMDR works by helping the brain reprocess memories that were never properly filed away. Traumatic experiences are stored in blocked or inadequately integrated memory networks – frozen in time, exactly as they were experienced. Through bilateral stimulation, both brain hemispheres are activated and synchronised in relation to that event, allowing the memory to be processed and stored differently.
What happens in the brain
EMDR influences the neural pathways in the brain. Traumatic memories are anchored in networks that the brain was unable to integrate at the time of the event. EMDR aims to reprocess these frozen memories, with the goal of noticeable and visible relief on a physical, emotional and sensory level.
Together with drawing on a client’s internal resources, this causes neural changes and initiates development and self-healing processes. EMDR not only accelerates the processing of traumatic memory fragments; it also allows cognitive restructuring – a re-evaluation of the experience, and a changed attitude towards oneself and one’s own resources.
Why the observing role matters
Clients are asked to assume an observing role. Their attention is partly focused on an external sensory stimulus – the bilateral stimulation – while at the same time concentrating internally on the traumatic event.
This dual attention is the heart of the method: the observing role creates emotional distance between the client and the experience, and that distance is what makes a cognitive and emotional re-evaluation possible. The memory can be looked at rather than relived.
Forms of bilateral stimulation
Alongside guided eye movements, acoustic and tactile stimulation are also employed. Combining several senses increases the efficacy of the work and allows the method to be adapted to individual clients – particularly relevant when working with neurodivergent clients or children and young people.
How long does it take?
EMDR is an active and intensive eight-phase process, supported throughout by the therapist, and can last several sessions. The client’s traumatic event is targeted and worked through in individual steps rather than all at once.
If you would like to understand the method from the beginning, see what EMDR is and how it was developed. Practitioners wanting to train in the method will find details under EMDR training.
