EMDR Therapy : 8 Common Misconceptions

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EMDR therapy has become a popular therapeutic modality due to its effectiveness in treating PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other conditions. Despite its popularity, many still hold misconceptions about EMDR. There are 8 common misconceptions that my peers and I have encountered:

Misconception 1: “EMDR is the perfect modality for me because I don’t want to feel my emotions. I’m fine doing eye movements for 45 minutes.”

Reality: In multiple phases, including during the reprocessing phase that EMDR is known for, you will be asked to name and come into contact with your emotions. While EMDR requires a lot less talking between client and therapist than traditional talk therapy, EMDR does involve being with emotions as they arise. When people try to avoid feeling their emotions, they are engaging in experiential avoidance.

“Experiential avoidance (EA), or the unwillingness to remain in contact with distressing internal experiences along with the attempts to control or avoid distressing internal experiences, has been associated with a range of psychopathological symptoms across a range of clinical presentations of anxiety and fear. These attempts to control internal experiences can exacerbate distress and limit behavior.” - Hayes-Skelton & Eustis, 2020

Emotions are a healthy and normal part of being a human being. Emotions can be viewed as messengers that tell us what matters most in this moment and propel us to get our needs met. Therapist and author Janice Webb, PhD shares a list of 35 commonly felt emotions and describes each emotion’s message to you.

Misconception 2: “EMDR is a rapid process. I’m going to do 10 sessions max.”

Reality: EMDR consists of 8 phases—not just the reprocessing phase that EMDR is known for. It takes time to move through each phase, and they all have their own purpose. For example, phase one allows a therapist to collect a client’s history and understand what brings them to therapy while phase two helps prepare the client for the reprocessing phase by equipping them with stabilization techniques, coping skills, and resourcing capacity. Like traditional talk therapies, sometimes clients get ‘stuck’ in a phase and the therapist must first address that stuck point before the client can move further down the process.

Since everyone’s backgrounds, severity of symptoms, social supports, internal resourcing capacity, life stressors, etc vary, it’s impossible to determine in advance how many sessions will be needed to address a particular issue. What we do know is, people who have a complex condition or have notably low internal resourcing capacity tend to require longer therapy.

Misconception 3: “I’m ready to jump into the reprocessing phase. Stabilization and resourcing isn’t necessary for me.”

Reality: EMDR incorporates resourcing and stabilization techniques so that client can be adequately prepared for the reprocessing phase. While some people move through each phase faster than others, including phase 2 (stabilization and resourcing), phases should not be skipped. I have heard that some EMDR therapists have started their clients in phase 4 ( the reprocessing stage) without first going taking them through phases 1-3. I heard that these therapeutic outcomes were not all that great; I believe these clients were not set up to succeed.

Many years ago, this happened to me when I was a client. In the middle of talk therapy, the therapist randomly handed me the handheld tappers. I didn’t know what they were or what I was expected to do, but I turned the tappers on as he instructed. Within a 3-minute period, nothing shifted in me and he aborted EMDR therapy. We never spoke about what EMDR was or how it worked, making it difficult to orient to the experience. Looking back as an EMDR therapist now, I realize that he didn’t run me through phases 1-3. Phase 2, the stabilization and resourcing phase, was absent, setting us up for failure. When I tried EMDR years later, it worked really well for me because I was taken through all phases. To give EMDR your best try, your therapist must do a thorough job and adhere to the protocols that research shows works for many people.

Misconception 4: “EMDR is a linear process.”

Reality: EMDR protocols can be viewed as a dynamic process opposed to one that is linear or checklist oriented. For instance, an established client can start on phase 4 and jump to phase 7 before the session ends. During their next session, they might start at phase 8 and then move back into phase 4 reprocessing, ending again in phase 7. EMDR is much more of an algorithm than a linear model. But you don’t have to worry about managing this process as your therapist will.

Misconception 5: “I can reprocess a specific memory while completely avoiding other memories that are seemingly unrelated, or avoid memories I don’t wish to revisit.”

Reality: EMDR works with memory networks. No one can predict which memories might arise during EMDR reprocessing as everyone’s memory networks differ based on having unique backgrounds. Memory networks can be crudely illustrated this way: Say you initially think about the wool fabric you’re wearing; then your mind goes to your grandmother’s wool blanket that you used to curl up in; then you think about how nurturing your grandmother was when you had chronic headaches; now your mind moves to your college professor who was supportive when you needed to miss the final exam due to experiencing a severe migraine; now you realize that you haven’t had a migraine in the last month which is an improvement and you think it’s because you manage your anxiety better.

As you can see, the initial thought (wool fabric) led you to think about a completely different subject (lack of migraines due to managing anxiety better). While these are seemingly unconnected topics, they share a memory network. Since there is no way for anyone to determine which memories of yours are on the same memory network, therapists cannot guarantee that a specific memory won’t come up during reprocessing. Your mind will go where it goes naturally.

Misconception 6: “EMDR works for everyone.”

Reality: While research demonstrates EMDR’s effectiveness in treating multiple conditions or presenting issues, no single therapeutic modality works for every person. People must try EMDR over a period of time to determine whether EMDR will be effective for them.

Misconception 7: “I can engage in EMDR therapy and experience no discomfort.”

Especially after the reprocessing phase, people can experience elevated symptoms. For instance, some notice that they feel physically tired or exhausted. Others notice that they have greater access to previously unfelt somatic sensations or emotions that are now coming to the surface. Occasionally, people will experience dreams or nightmares. Phase 2 helps people develop several strategies for managing some of this discomfort, but it cannot be completely avoided. People who worry about how they might respond to EMDR reprocessing should speak to their therapist and spend more time developing resourcing skills.

Misconception 8: “EMDR must be done in person.”

Reality: EMDR can be effectively executed in person or virtually.

* This blog is for educational purposes only. The content above is not a suitable replacement for consultation with a licensed EMDR-trained therapist. Though people may experience the same issue, each person’s situation and needs varies; thus the content above is not intended to be a one-size-fits-all response to these common misconceptions.