How is EMDR Different From Talk Therapy?

Read other blogs in this series:
What is EMDR? Is it as powerful as they say?
What Can I Expect From EMDR Therapy? A Session to Session Guide

How EMDR Therapy works in Practice

The practical application of EMDR relies on a unique psychological mechanism that keeps patients safe during sessions. By focusing on the present while accessing past memories, this approach allows for effective healing without the need for traditional, long-term counseling.

What is Dual Attention? Why is it important?

At the heart of this therapy is the concept of dual attention. This technique ensures that you remain fully grounded in the present moment (following the bilateral stimulation, aware that your therapist is with you), while your brain processes distressing memories (remembering what happened, the emotions and how your body feels the stress).
A skilled therapist is able to keep you balanced, which prevents you from becoming overwhelmed or re-traumatized during the session.

What happens in talk therapy?

Traditional talk therapy often focuses on analyzing the narrative of your life. This relies heavily on the client sharing their memory, piece by piece. This is often a form or retraumatizing, simply recanting the series of events does nothing to alleviate the emotional activation. We know that when our system is in this state of arousal, our ability to convey our experiences goes on-line. On its own, the brain struggles with the ability to express emotions and be logical. When was a time you’ve tried to rationalize with someone that is overcome with emotions. It’s impossible. As a result, you have a high level of activation, without the ability to connect to the helpful, rational thoughts.

What happens in EMDR therapy?

In contrast, EMDR targets the brain’s information processing system directly. The therapist helps activate the memory in the client, by engaging visuals, irrational thoughts, emotions and feelings in the body, to a decree that is manageable. The bilateral stimulation is added. The constant focus on the memory the bilateral (eye movement, tapping, audio tones) and the therapist allows for the whole brain to work in unison. The emotions and the rational thoughts are finally able to co-exist.

This blending, that is unique to EMDR, allows for us to arrive to a healthy conclusion about the prior experience. Imagine you were involved in a car accident. You remember so many details of it – what song was playing, the intersection where it happened, how your body tensed, the fear of impact and how you blame yourself. This memory gets triggered, reactivated, time and again.

In EMDR, you will start the session with these details in mind, then your therapist will start the bilateral. As your level of activation is regulated, your brain starts to remember other aspects. There were no injuries. There was only minor property damage. A dog ran out into the road, causing you to swerve. People came to help you. The police commended your quick actions that avoided worse consequences. It was not my fault. I am safe. Your brain does this work all on its own!

Does this mean I don’t have to talk through and share the whole memory?

That’s the beauty of it! You do not have to talk it through! Your brain, your body, your nervous system works through the memory as it is designed to do. At the same time, your therapist will check in with you to make sure you stay regulated.

This means that healing happens significantly faster, compared to talk therapy. The EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) has hundreds of research studies demonstrating the effectiveness and efficiency of EMDR as compared to other treatment modalities. By reducing the need for constant verbalization, EMDR allows you to focus entirely on your internal healing journey. Often a memory, such as a car accident can be healed in just 1-2 processing sessions. This is why so many individuals find it to be a transformative path toward lasting trauma recovery.

How long will the results last?

When that memory is worked through, the connections to the triggers are severed. That song is no longer strongly attached to the accident, it’s just a song that happened to be on. The road just happens to be where the dog ran out. I am a safe driver. When the pairings are disconnected, the memory will not be emotional or activated. It will just be a thing that happened to you in the past.

How do I Find a Qualified EMDR Therapist?

When looking for a qualified EMDR therapist, the first place to look is on the EMDRIA website. The EMDR International Association is the body that regulates both how EMDR is trained, and the therapists that wish to move up the credentialing process. There are companies that offer EMDR trainings, however they do not hold the same rigorous expectations, including supervised practice. Make sure your therapist has EMDRIA approval before moving forward.

There are several levels of EMDR therapists:

• EMDR in training: Currently participating in the 50 hours of training. This includes lecture, video and live demonstrations of key principles, and practicing with another trainee while an experienced EMDR therapist observes and gives live feed-back. They are also participating in 10 hours of group sessions, where they share their use of EMDR, review lecture material and learn from their peers’ experiences.
• EMDR trained: Completed the 50 hours or training, the 10 hours of group and a post-test demonstrating their knowledge. No further actions are necessary to keep this status.
• EMDR certified: After becoming EMDR trained, these therapist continue their learning by taking at least 12 hours of advanced trainings, have an additional 20 hours of oversight with a higher level EMDR therapist (including audio tapes of actual sessions), and have completed a minimum number of processing sessions. Certification must be renewed every 2 years, an additional 12 hours of advanced trainings is required at each renewal.
• EMDR Consultant in Training (CIT): After becoming certified, they continue to learn by taking another 12 hours of advanced training and have more processing sessions completed. They are also required to have a minimum of 20 hours of oversight from an Approved Consultant (the next levelup). The Approved Consultant will evaluate the CIT’s ability to correctly guide and support newly trained therapists in their use of EMDR with their clients. The audio/video used here will be of the CIT offering consultation to the therapist that is either in training or trained.
• EMDR Approved Consultant: Once all the above requirements are met, the therapist will now have the title of Approved Consultant. This credential requires 12 hours of advanced training and renewal every two years.
• EMDR Trainer: This is the highest level of credentialing for an EMDR therapist. There are believed to be less than 250 trainers in the United States. In addition to being an Approved Consultant, the trainer has to go through a rigorous screening process. The curriculum has to meet very specific criteria about content and length of time spent on topics, the in training practicum experiences, even how the learning management system works. They are also required to answer a series of questions around how they handle certain situations, learner engagement, and being culturally sensitive and aware. Trainer status is renewed every 2 years by answering the training specific short essay questions.

If you have further questions about EMDR, either as a therapist or as a potential client, please reach out to Heather Dunn, EMDRIA Approved trainer, at heather@bluehorizoncounseling.com.

Read more about EMDR:
How Effective is EMDR with Anxiety and Depression?
How Effective is EMDR with Adolescents?
How Effective is EMDR with Children?
How Effective is EMDR with Physiological Diagnosis, such as Bipolar, Neurodivergence and Schizophrenia?
How Effective is EMDR with a Trauma Based Diagnosis – PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder?

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At Blue Horizon Counseling we have several therapists that are passionate and qualified in EMDR therapy.

You’re Not Alone. Our Therapists are here to help, in Pearland, TX.

Hang in there. This won’t last forever, even if some days feel like it might. You’re planting the seeds for future blossoms. All our therapists at Blue Horizon Counseling offer sessions both in person and via telehealth.  Find the right therapist for you. We accept most major insurance plans.

Written by Heather Dunn, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, specializing in trauma, dissociation and EMDR. Heather has been practicing for over 20 years and enjoys sharing her knowledge and helpful tips.

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