EMDR Therapy Surrey, Cloverdale, Langely
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment developed by Francine Shapiro for healing psychological trauma. It is currently one of the fastest and most effective therapies for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with 85% of those treated no longer meeting the diagnostic criteria post-treatment.
EMDR treatment involves remembering aspects of the stressful event while brain networks are activated through eye movements, taps or sounds in repeated side-to-side sequences for short periods of time. In this way, parts of the memory are reaccessed, reprocessed by the nervous system, and released, to the effect that they are no longer bothersome when recalled.
The Effects of Trauma
When trauma is experienced, it creates deep neurological imprints that tie sensory experiences to powerful, often negative emotions. During the event, a person’s nervous system is overwhelmed, unable to respond effectively, and so the brain forms what might be thought of as “survival-based” neural pathways. For example, the sensory details of a car accident, like the jolt of the impact, the shattering sound of crumpling metal, and the smell of burning rubber, fuse with the terror felt in that moment. This traumatic memory is not just a recollection; it’s encoded in the brain with a particular sensory-emotional intensity that stands apart from other memories.
After such experiences, these survival-oriented pathways remain primed for reactivation. Thus, if someone encounters a sound, smell, or situation resembling the original trauma (like the scent of burning rubber), these neural pathways can activate the body’s “fight, flight, or freeze” responses, as though the trauma were happening all over again. This “re-triggering” can result in flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and extreme physiological responses like rapid heartbeat, sweating, or feelings of intense fear—all symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In an effort to avoid such painful and involuntary responses, many individuals begin to steer clear of anything that might trigger these memories. This could mean avoiding certain locations, people, activities, or even the discussion of specific topics. Yet, as they attempt to sidestep reminders of their trauma, they often find their world shrinking. Social connections might weaken, physical spaces might feel constrictive, and formerly enjoyable activities could be abandoned. Furthermore, avoidance can result in beliefs like “I am powerless” or “The world is unsafe,” which, though protective in the moment, can limit personal growth and healthy interactions with others.
This avoidance cycle can impede healing. The brain requires gentle, safe exposure to feared stimuli to recalibrate, distinguishing what is truly dangerous from what is benign. However, since avoidance disrupts this process, the trauma circuit remains “untouched,” persisting in its ability to evoke distress.
EMDR therapy is designed to break this cycle by helping individuals reprocess traumatic memories in a safe, therapeutic environment. During EMDR sessions, clients recall distressing memories while engaging in specific sensory tasks, which might involve following a therapist’s moving finger or listening to alternating tones. This controlled stimulation appears to support the brain’s natural ability to reprocess and integrate memories, a mechanism that trauma often disrupts. Over time, EMDR therapy allows individuals to “uncouple” previously linked traumatic memories and physical sensations from overwhelming emotions. The event’s emotional charge diminishes, and the individual no longer feels threatened by reminders of the trauma.
After treatment, individuals often feel that the negative beliefs associated with their trauma are no longer relevant, and they report an increased sense of self-worth and security. Formerly triggering situations no longer provoke the same level of fear, allowing individuals to re-engage with life more freely. EMDR, by re-wiring traumatic networks into broader, healthier memory systems, can help individuals reclaim a sense of safety and agency in the world.
How Does EMDR Treatment Work?
EMDR works by systematically reprocessing traumatic memories so that they integrate into a person’s memory network in a way that reduces distress. Memories of traumatic events are like “islands” in the brain, often isolated from more adaptive or healthy memories and beliefs. These isolated memories can become “stuck,” locked away with intense emotional responses and physical sensations tied directly to the trauma. In essence, the traumatic memory remains vivid and distressing because it is insufficiently processed, separate from more balanced perspectives or experiences that might soften its impact.
When EMDR therapy begins, the therapist helps the client focus on the traumatic memory while providing bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, sounds, or tactile sensations alternating between the left and right sides. This bilateral stimulation is theorized to help the brain process the traumatic memory more fully, perhaps similar to the way it naturally processes memories during REM sleep. The therapist may guide the client to notice various aspects of the memory, including associated emotions, bodily sensations, and images. While this can feel challenging, the repeated bilateral stimulation helps “disarm” the memory, gradually reducing its emotional intensity.
A significant aspect of EMDR is that it connects the traumatic memory with “healthy psychological material” already present in the client’s memory network, such as positive memories, beliefs, or experiences. For instance, memories of past successes, affirming relationships, or moments of safety might become associated with the trauma. In the example of someone who experienced a car accident or bullying, EMDR may allow these memories to be linked with recollections of confident driving or standing up for oneself. These new connections introduce more balance and help reframe the original trauma, allowing the person to feel safer, more in control, and less reactive to triggers in the present.
Through this process, clients often come to feel that the traumatic event is truly “over” and that they are safe now. The nervous system no longer reacts to reminders of the trauma with fight, flight, or freeze responses. In situations that were once triggering, they may feel a sense of calm or neutrality. Over time, EMDR supports a restructuring of one’s beliefs about the trauma and about oneself—transforming beliefs like “I’m powerless” into “I am capable” or “I am safe.” This reprocessing of memories reduces the intensity of physiological and emotional responses, contributing to healthier relationships, lessened stress, and an improved ability to engage fully with life.
What to Expect in an EMDR Session
History Taking and Treatment Planning
Preparation
Assessment
Desensitization
Installation
Body Scan
Closure
Re-evaluation
The final phase assesses the client’s progress since beginning EMDR. In each session, the therapist checks in on previously targeted memories to see if they remain desensitized and if the positive beliefs still feel strong. The therapist also assesses if any new memories, triggers, or symptoms have emerged that need attention. Re-evaluation continues until the client feels stable, with a reduced response to trauma-related memories and an increased ability to engage in daily life without distress.
Each of these phases is tailored to ensure that EMDR therapy is a controlled, safe, and transformative process. By moving through these steps, clients are guided from trauma-related distress toward resilience, positive beliefs, and a sense of control over their lives.
To find an EMDR therapist that suits your needs and schedule, visit our online booking platform.
Who is Suitable for EMDR Therapy?
Who is EMDR Not Appropriate For?
Acute Crisis Situations
Individuals who are in an acute crisis, such as experiencing a recent traumatic event, a severe depressive episode, or recent self-harming behaviors, may not benefit from EMDR until they have more stability. EMDR requires a certain level of emotional regulation and grounding to navigate intense memories. In these cases, the therapist may first use stabilization-focused therapies or interventions to support the client in gaining more immediate coping skills before introducing EMDR.
Severe Dissociative Disorders
Unmanaged Severe Mental Health Conditions
Active Substance Abuse
Limited Ability to Tolerate Distress
Pregnancy and High-Risk Medical Conditions
Insufficient Support System
Clients Who Are Not Ready to Engage with Trauma
Alternative Approaches to Consider
For clients not ready for EMDR or for whom it may not be suitable, neurofeedback and mindfulness-based therapies offer supportive alternatives that help build essential emotional regulation and resilience. Neurofeedback is a non-invasive technique that trains the brain to stabilize itself, using real-time feedback to help clients shift out of states of hyperarousal or dissociation commonly associated with trauma. This can alleviate symptoms like anxiety, panic, and hypervigilance, providing a sense of internal calm and stability. Mindfulness-based approaches, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), teach clients to observe their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations non-judgmentally, reducing the power of trauma-related triggers and enhancing self-compassion. By engaging with these experiences in a gentle and controlled way, clients learn to tolerate uncomfortable sensations, reconnect with themselves, and stay grounded in the present. When used together, neurofeedback and mindfulness create a strong foundation that can prepare clients for trauma-focused work like EMDR, equipping them with the tools to manage distress and build a sense of safety and control.
In summary, while EMDR is an effective treatment for many people with trauma, it is best suited for individuals who have a certain level of emotional stability and coping skills. By assessing readiness carefully, therapists can ensure that EMDR is introduced at the appropriate time, maximizing the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.
Are you ready to book your first EMDR session? Follow this link to our booking platform where you’ll find the Sojourn therapists trained to offer EMDR.
People Struggling with Low Self-Esteem or Self-Worth
For those with longstanding negative self-beliefs often rooted in past criticism, failure, or rejection, EMDR can be transformative. By revisiting these memories, EMDR fosters healthier self-beliefs, boosting confidence and self-worth.
EMDR’s adaptability makes it suitable for diverse backgrounds and challenges. It helps individuals reframe past experiences, strengthen emotional resilience, and achieve greater overall well-being.
At Sojourn Counselling and Neurofeedback, our trained therapists can help you determine if EMDR is the right therapeutic approach for you. If you or someone you know could benefit from EMDR therapy, we invite you to explore our therapist profiles and book an appointment online.
Peter Levine, in his seminal work on trauma therapy entitled “Waking the Tiger” says, “If you are experiencing strange symptoms that no one seems to be able to explain, they could be arising from a traumatic reaction to a past event that you may not even remember. You are not alone. You are not crazy. There is a rational explanation for what is happening to you. You have not been irreversibly damaged, and it is possible to diminish or even eliminate your symptoms” (1997).
Individuals with Specific Traumas
People with Chronic Anxiety Disorders
Children and Adolescents
Individuals Struggling with Addiction or Unhealthy Behaviors
People Affected by Motor Vehicle Accidents
Individuals with Complex Trauma or Childhood Abuse
People with Depression or Mood Disorders
First Responders and Healthcare Professionals
People with Phobias or Specific Fears
Those Coping with Grief and Loss
People Struggling with Low Self-Esteem or Self-Worth
For those with longstanding negative self-beliefs often rooted in past criticism, failure, or rejection, EMDR can be transformative. By revisiting these memories, EMDR fosters healthier self-beliefs, boosting confidence and self-worth.
EMDR’s adaptability makes it suitable for diverse backgrounds and challenges. It helps individuals reframe past experiences, strengthen emotional resilience, and achieve greater overall well-being.
At Sojourn Counselling and Neurofeedback, our trained therapists can help you determine if EMDR is the right therapeutic approach for you. If you or someone you know could benefit from EMDR therapy, we invite you to explore our therapist profiles and book an appointment online.
How Long Does it Take to Effectively Treat Trauma with EMDR?
This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on the number of traumatic events suffered and whether one has a history of chronic abuse or neglect. Those with a single trauma recover more quickly than those who have suffered many, as in the case of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPTSD). In general, we can say that it may take as few as three sessions, or as many as 12 or more. The effectiveness of EMDR comes from research summarized below:
Traumatic stress studies have shown that 83-90% of those diagnosed with PTSD no longer met the criteria for the diagnosis after 4-7 sessions of EMDR (Lee et. al, 2002; Rothbaum, 1997).
Others have found significant decrease of a variety of PTSD-related symptoms after only 3-4 sessions (Ironson et. al, 2002; Scheck et. al, 1998; Wilson et. al, 1995).
One study has shown that 77% of sufferers of multiple traumas no longer meet PTSD diagnostic criteria after 12 sessions (Carlson et. al, 1998).
People with histories of childhood abuse or neglect may require more than 12 sessions (Korn & Leeds, 2002; Mayfield & Hyder, 2002; Shapiro, 2001).
For more information on EMDR check the following links:
EMDR Institute’s FAQ page
EMDR Canada’s FAQ page
Active Substance Abuse
Limited Ability to Tolerate Distress
Pregnancy and High-Risk Medical Conditions
Insufficient Support System
Clients Who Are Not Ready to Engage with Trauma
Alternative Approaches to Consider
For clients not ready for EMDR or for whom it may not be suitable, neurofeedback and mindfulness-based therapies offer supportive alternatives that help build essential emotional regulation and resilience. Neurofeedback is a non-invasive technique that trains the brain to stabilize itself, using real-time feedback to help clients shift out of states of hyperarousal or dissociation commonly associated with trauma. This can alleviate symptoms like anxiety, panic, and hypervigilance, providing a sense of internal calm and stability. Mindfulness-based approaches, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), teach clients to observe their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations non-judgmentally, reducing the power of trauma-related triggers and enhancing self-compassion. By engaging with these experiences in a gentle and controlled way, clients learn to tolerate uncomfortable sensations, reconnect with themselves, and stay grounded in the present. When used together, neurofeedback and mindfulness create a strong foundation that can prepare clients for trauma-focused work like EMDR, equipping them with the tools to manage distress and build a sense of safety and control.
In summary, while EMDR is an effective treatment for many people with trauma, it is best suited for individuals who have a certain level of emotional stability and coping skills. By assessing readiness carefully, therapists can ensure that EMDR is introduced at the appropriate time, maximizing the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.
Are you ready to book your first EMDR session? Follow this link to our booking platform where you’ll find the Sojourn therapists trained to offer EMDR.
People Struggling with Low Self-Esteem or Self-Worth
For those with longstanding negative self-beliefs often rooted in past criticism, failure, or rejection, EMDR can be transformative. By revisiting these memories, EMDR fosters healthier self-beliefs, boosting confidence and self-worth.
EMDR’s adaptability makes it suitable for diverse backgrounds and challenges. It helps individuals reframe past experiences, strengthen emotional resilience, and achieve greater overall well-being.
At Sojourn Counselling and Neurofeedback, our trained therapists can help you determine if EMDR is the right therapeutic approach for you. If you or someone you know could benefit from EMDR therapy, we invite you to explore our therapist profiles and book an appointment online.
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