How Long Does EMDR Take?
EMDR has become a popular treatment approach to a variety of mental health concerns. Especially for treating trauma, anxiety, or depression. EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an approach that is grounded in scientific findings.
It was discovered that when we enter the recall sleep stage known as REM, our eyes rapidly move back and forth as it processes these memories. Based on this, EMDR was founded on the principle that eye movements are inherently linked to the processing of memories.
When someone has gone through a traumatic experience, they are not able to fully process the whole entire event or situation. When this occurs, it causes someone to experience PTSD symptoms.
These symptoms can include anything from:
Flashbacks
Nightmares/Night terrors
Avoidance of any situation or person that is reminiscent of that traumatic event
Anxiety
Depression
Insomnia
…and unfortunately, many more symptoms
Trauma is a response to any situation that was highly distressing or disturbing for the person experiencing it. Trauma/PTSD is something that is most commonly associated with those who are veterans of war. However, anyone, for any reason, can experience trauma. Some of the most common occurrences that cause trauma symptoms are:
Domestic, sexual, or childhood abuse
Car accidents
Witnessing a crime
Being the victim of a crime
Natural disasters
Bullying
As you can see, all of these events would be considered highly distressing and emotional for any person.
How Long Does EMDR Take?
This is a bit complicated to answer. In terms of the actual session length, they typically last from 60 to 90 minutes. When you compare this to traditional talk therapy, which ranges from 45 to 60 minutes, this can seem really long.
However, EMDR involves far more than just talking about the issues at hand. It is a very specific process to recall painful memories from the past.
In terms of the number of sessions needed, it can vary from person to person. Typically, EMDR Therapy will last around 12 sessions, if not more.
Comparing EMDR Therapy to traditional therapy, the sessions may be longer in length but won’t have as many sessions for treating the same issues with talk therapy.
Why Does It Work More Quickly?
EMDR is effective for treating mental health issues for many reasons. One of these is that it can promote relief a lot quicker. There are a lot of variables that go into play regarding why it is a quicker approach to therapy.
It Focuses On Treating The Cause
Talk therapy is effective because it treats the symptoms someone is experiencing. However, this process can take a lot longer because there is often a lot of emotions, thoughts, and symptoms behind the traumatic experience.
EMDR, on the other hand, focuses on treating the cause of the trauma, not just the symptoms.
It Is A Smaller Area Of Focus
Unpacking trauma in traditional therapy involves a lot. There is sorting through every single instance of traumatic experience that someone went through. With EMDR Therapy, only one traumatic experience is focused on.
Working with a therapist, a client will choose the memory that they feel is impacting them the most.
Next Steps
If you believe that this type of therapy could be beneficial to you, you have come to the right place. As a licensed therapist who is certified to practice EMDR, I understand the positive impacts it can make on someone’s life who has experienced trauma. I also completely understand and empathize with anyone who has gone through something traumatizing.
If you are interested in learning more about EMDR Therapy, don’t hesitate to reach out to me soon. Together, we can determine if this type of therapy is right for so you can begin the process of finding relief.