What Is EMDR Therapy And How Does It Work?

The mind has a way of holding on to moments we’d rather leave behind. For some, it’s a breakup that replays like a song stuck on repeat. For others, it’s the sudden rush of panic before stepping onto a stage, or a wave of dread when a familiar sound brings back an old memory. Even when life looks calm from the outside, reminders like these can jolt the body into stress, fear, or sadness.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, better known as EMDR therapy, is designed to help people find relief when memories, fears, or negative beliefs interfere with daily life. 

By blending memory recall with rhythmic stimulation, EMDR provides a structured approach for the brain to reprocess stuck experiences and beliefs, making them feel less overwhelming.

What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR is a structured psychotherapy method developed in the late 1980s by Dr. Francine Shapiro. In a session, a therapist guides you to bring a troubling memory, thought, or image to mind while also engaging in bilateral stimulation—often side-to-side eye movements, tapping, or alternating sounds. Therapists must complete an EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)-approved basic training program to acquire the necessary skills for client safety and effective trauma treatment. While not legally required to be certified, basic training is a prerequisite for using EMDR, with certification serving as an advanced credential demonstrating higher proficiency.

Research suggests this combination helps the brain “digest” memories that were previously stored in a raw, unprocessed way. Instead of erasing the memory, EMDR aims to reduce its emotional intensity and help you adopt more balanced, adaptive beliefs about yourself and your experiences.

"It's almost a wave that can't be stopped because people are hearing their friends talk about it, they're seeing the changes in their family members," Wendy Byrd, a professional counselor and president of the board of directors at the EMDRIA, told USA Today.

Health organizations, including the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, recognize EMDR as an effective therapy for trauma and related conditions.

Benefits of EMDR therapy

What makes EMDR stand out isn’t just that it works, but how it feels different from traditional talk therapy. Instead of long hours retelling your past, many people describe EMDR as a gentler, more focused process that helps memories lose their sting. 

Research backs this up: EMDR often brings relief faster than expected, sometimes in as few as six sessions. And its impact isn’t limited to trauma—it stretches across anxiety, depression, phobias, and even performance stress.

Here are some of the benefits people and studies highlight:

• Faster relief. A meta-analysis found EMDR reduced depressive symptoms significantly, with strong effects for people facing severe cases.
• Versatility. Beyond trauma, EMDR has been shown to ease anxiety, panic attacks, grief, and phobias.
• Less homework. Compared with traditional exposure therapy, EMDR can lower symptoms with less demand for between-session assignments.
• Boosts confidence. Celebrities like Prince Harry and Miley Cyrus describe EMDR as “powerful” for tackling performance fears and personal anxieties.

The mix of science and lived experience paints EMDR as more than a clinical tool. It’s a doorway back into confidence, creativity, and everyday calm.

Risks of EMDR therapy

Like any therapy, EMDR has its challenges. For many, the work feels raw at first—like stirring up dust in a long-closed room. Memories can arrive with more force than expected, and the body can respond with tension or exhaustion. While these effects are usually temporary, they can catch people off guard.

Some of the most common short-term reactions include:

• Vivid dreams or flashbacks. Memories may feel sharper before they soften.
• Emotional flooding. Waves of sadness, fear, or even anger can rise during or after a session.
• Physical fatigue. Headaches or sudden tiredness are signs that the brain is working hard to reprocess.
• Temporary unease. Some people feel unsettled between sessions, though grounding techniques help.

Therapists are trained to pace sessions carefully, ensuring you leave feeling grounded and safe. The paradox of EMDR is this: the discomfort it stirs is often the very thing that makes lasting relief possible. When in doubt, consult with your provider about the risks and benefits of EMDR, and consider easing into this modality gradually. And of course, EMDR is only one of many modalities therapists can use, so stay open to other types of therapeutic modalities, as you may find one more effective for you than others.

The eight steps of EMDR treatment

Therapists guide clients through eight phases—creating safety, gently processing, and reviewing progress:

1. History and treatment planning
2. Preparation (skills and trust building)
3. Assessment (selecting what to reprocess)
4. Desensitization (processing memories with bilateral cues)
5. Installation (linking stronger, adaptive beliefs)
6. Body scan (noticing lingering physical tension)
7. Closure (calming before session ends)
8. Reevaluation (tracking progress next time)

While all eight phases matter, not every session repeats the entire sequence—history and treatment planning, for example, only happen at the start, whereas phases like desensitization and installation may be revisited many times as healing unfolds. 

What does EMDR treat, and who can benefit most from it?

EMDR isn’t just for one kind of experience—it supports anyone whose inner world feels stuck, overwhelming, or out of balance. Whether it’s anxiety that won’t quit, grief that lingers, or performance nerves that don’t fade, EMDR offers a way to meet those feelings with gentler clarity.

• Individuals battling depression. EMDR has been shown to create meaningful reductions in depressive symptoms, with especially strong results in severe cases.
• Those managing anxiety and panic. People often report fewer anxious thoughts and calmer panic responses.
• People facing specific phobias. EMDR has been used successfully in areas like fear of flying or fear of spiders, offering another option when exposure feels daunting.
• Anyone coping with grief or loss. EMDR can soften the sharp edges of painful memories and help people move through the natural grieving process without feeling paralyzed.
• Performers, athletes, and professionals under pressure. EMDR is increasingly used to reduce performance anxiety, helping people feel steadier and more confident in high-stakes situations.
• People managing chronic stress or tension-related pain. EMDR may reduce the psychological intensity that often magnifies physical discomfort, offering relief in both mind and body.

Miley’s case of performance anxiety is a good example—EMDR helped her get to the root cause of her stage fright instead of masking the symptoms. In the United States, EMDR is also recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense as a “best practice” in treating veterans experiencing PTSD. From the stage to the battlefield, many walks of life can find healing through EMDR.

Placing the past where it belongs

EMDR isn’t about erasing what’s painful. It’s about changing how those experiences live inside you. A sound, a thought, or a memory that once felt unbearable can become something the mind can hold without breaking.

That shift is what makes EMDR so powerful. For some, it means sleeping through the night without fear. For others, it’s walking into a room without panic, stepping onto a stage with calm, or remembering someone they’ve lost without the same crushing weight.

The past will always be part of us. But EMDR shows that even the hardest memories can lose their sharpness, leaving space for something steadier—confidence, peace, and the chance to feel at home in the present.