The EMDR therapy — from the English Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is a structured psychotherapeutic approach, developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, used to process traumatic experiences and memories that continue to cause suffering in the present.
The underlying premise
The basic idea is that some particularly intense experiences aren't normally processed by the brain, but remain stored in a "raw" form: with the same images, physical sensations, and emotions from the moment they happened.
That's why, years later, a smell or a sound can reactivate a disproportionate reaction. The memory hasn't been filed away as the past: it continues to behave as if it were the present.
How a session unfolds, phase by phase
This is the part that is most often described wrong, as if EMDR were just "moving your eyes." The standard protocol is organized into eight phases, and the reprocessing part is only one of them.
History taking. The overall picture is reconstructed, the memories to be treated are identified, and it's assessed whether EMDR is indicated. It may take more than one session.
Preparation. The person is told what will happen, and stabilization tools are built, that is, ways to interrupt and regulate emotional activation. The painful material isn't touched until there are enough resources to hold it.
Assessment of the memory. The focus is on the most disturbing image, the negative belief about oneself associated with it ("I'm in danger," "I'm worthless"), the emotion, and the bodily sensations.
Desensitization. This is the best-known phase: the person recalls the memory while following bilateral stimulation, generally eye movements guided by the therapist's hand, sometimes alternating taps or sounds. It proceeds in short sets, interspersed with moments of checking what has come up.
Installation. An alternative positive belief is strengthened, one that must feel credible to the person, not imposed.
Body scan. This checks whether any residual tension remains in the body.
Closure. Every session ends with bringing the person back to a state of balance, even if the reprocessing isn't complete.
Reevaluation. At the next appointment, it's checked whether the results have held.
The person remains awake, aware, and in control throughout the entire session. It isn't hypnosis, and nothing happens without your knowledge: you can stop at any moment.
What it's used for
- Post-traumatic stress disorder, the area it was developed for
- Single traumas: accidents, assaults, medical procedures, sudden bereavements
- Difficult relational experiences prolonged over time, including childhood ones
- Anxiety and panic attacks related to specific memories
- Traumatic experiences related to work, such as mobbing or critical events, often intertwined with burnout
- Complicated grief and emotional blocks that resist rational understanding
How long does a course of treatment take
It depends a lot on what's involved. A single, recent trauma in a person with good resources may require just a few reprocessing sessions, preceded though by the preparatory phases. A picture built on experiences repeated over time requires much more work, and EMDR is only one component of it.
Be wary of anyone who gives you a precise number of sessions before getting to know you.
What realistically changes
EMDR does not erase the memory, nor is that its purpose. What typically changes is the emotional charge associated with it: the event is relocated to the past, physical sensations lessen, and the negative beliefs about oneself born from that experience can be reformulated.
On the limits, contraindications, and possible side effects I've written a separate page, because they deserve honest treatment: EMDR: pros and cons, side effects and when it's not indicated.
How I integrate it into the process
In my work, EMDR is not an isolated intervention: it is combined with Gestalt psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and Autogenic Training. Which combination makes sense is decided after the initial consultations, not before.
A journey in Florence or online
I see clients at my office in Florence, at Via Tommaso Campanella 5, in the Campo di Marte – Coverciano area. You can contact me for an initial introductory session or learn more on the page dedicated toEMDR in Florence.
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