The 8 Phases of EMDR: What Actually Happens in a Session

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional mental health advice or create a therapist-client relationship.

"Do I have to relive it for this to work?" That's the question we hear more than almost any other when someone is considering EMDR therapy. It's a completely reasonable thing to wonder, and the honest answer is no. You don't have to relive it to release it.

EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, works through eight phases, developed to guide a therapist and client through the full arc of treatment without skipping the steps that make it safe. Some sessions only touch one or two phases. Others move through several. None of it requires you to sit in the full emotional weight of a memory the way talk therapy sometimes can.

At Grimsby Counselling Centre, we walk every EMDR client through these same eight phases, and we also offer Flash technique specifically for people who want the benefits of reprocessing without the intensity that traditional EMDR can sometimes bring. This guide breaks down what actually happens in each phase, so you know what to expect before you ever sit down for a session. Whether you're working through a single traumatic event or a pattern built from years of traumatic memories, the same eight phases apply.

In this article, we'll walk through the 8 phases of EMDR therapy in order, from history taking and treatment planning through to reevaluation, explain what happens in each phase of EMDR and why the order matters, and address the most common worry people bring to their first EMDR session. By the end, you'll understand how EMDR works from start to finish, and why you don't have to relive a memory in full to process it.

The 8 Phases of EMDR Therapy: How Each Phase of EMDR Treatment Works

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy is structured, not improvised, across all eight phases of EMDR therapy, sometimes called the 8 stages of EMDR.

Each phase of EMDR builds on the one before it, and your therapist won't move you forward faster than your nervous system is ready for. Here is what actually happens in each EMDR session, phase by phase.

Phase 1: History Taking and Your Treatment Plan

Phase 1 starts with your therapist getting a full picture of you, not just the event you want to work on. This includes your history, current triggers, and the traumatic memories or traumatic event that brought you in, and what you're hoping is different on the other side. Together, you and your therapist build a treatment plan and identify which memories or experiences are the right targets for reprocessing.

This phase can take one session or several, depending on how much history there is to cover. There's no rush built into it. An EMDR therapist uses phase 1 to make sure the treatment plan actually fits what you need, not a generic template.

Phase 2: Preparation, Where Safety Comes Before Insight

This is the phase where safety comes before insight. Before any reprocessing begins, your therapist teaches you specific coping techniques, ways to stay grounded if a memory feels activating, and what to expect from the process itself.

This is also where Flash technique comes in for clients who want it. Flash technique is a gentler entry point into reprocessing, and it's part of why you don't have to relive your memories or traumas in the way people often assume EMDR requires. Preparation isn't a formality. It's the foundation the rest of treatment stands on. Safety comes before insight in every case, not just the difficult ones.

Phase 3: Assessment

In the assessment phase, you and your therapist identify the specific target memory, along with the image, the negative belief attached to it, and the emotion and body sensation that come with it. Your therapist also sets a baseline using two standard measures: the Subjective Units of Disturbance, or how distressing the memory feels right now, and the Validity of Cognition, or how completely true a more helpful belief feels by comparison.

These aren't just clinical formalities. They give you and your therapist a clear way to track movement across sessions, rather than relying on a vague sense of "better." Your therapist also notes any emotional disturbance connected to the memory as a starting point to track against later.

Phase 4: Desensitization and Bilateral Stimulation

Phase 4 is desensitization, the phase most people picture when they think of EMDR: sets of eye movements or other bilateral stimulation while you hold the target memory in mind. This is also the phase most wrapped in myths, so it's worth naming the biggest one directly. EMDR does not make you forget what happened. The memory stays. What changes is its emotional charge, so it no longer feels like it's happening right now when you think about it.

Some emotional activation during this phase is expected and is part of how reprocessing works, not a sign that something is going wrong. Your therapist stays with you through it, and paces the work so it never exceeds what you can manage in that moment. This phase can take multiple sessions for a single traumatic memory, and that's normal too.

Phase 5: Installation, Building the Positive Belief

Once the distress around the target memory has come down, phase 5 shifts toward installation, strengthening a positive belief to replace the negative belief you identified back in phase 3. Your therapist checks in on how true that positive belief feels, not just whether you can say it out loud.

This is where "update and reprocess" really shows up. The old belief doesn't just get replaced. It gets updated, alongside the memory itself, so the two move together instead of staying in conflict.

Phase 6: Body Scan

The body scan is a short but important phase. Your therapist asks you to notice any remaining tension or body sensations connected to the memory, and if anything shows up, a bit more reprocessing continues until it settles. Traumatic experiences don't only live in thought. They show up in the body too, and this phase checks that both have actually shifted. Any lingering sensation, even a subtle one, gets a bit more attention before this phase is considered complete.

Phase 7: Closure

Every EMDR session ends with closure, whether or not the target memory was fully processed that day. If it was, closure is brief: your therapist reviews what came up and reminds you that some material may keep surfacing gently over the next few days. If the work wasn't finished when time ran out, your therapist uses the coping techniques from phase 2 to help you leave feeling stable, not activated.

You're never left mid-process. That's part of what makes this structured rather than something that just happens to you.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Reevaluation happens at the start of your next session. You and your therapist revisit the target memory, check whether the shift held, and talk through anything that surfaced between sessions, dreams, new triggers, or moments where you noticed things felt different. This is also where you and your therapist decide together whether to continue with the same target or move to a new one.

EMDR FAQs: How Long Does EMDR Take, and What to Expect

How long does EMDR take?

It depends on what you're working on. A single distressing memory often takes a handful of sessions. More complex or long-term experiences can take longer, and your therapist will build a treatment plan around what you specifically need.

Do I have to talk in detail about what happened?

No. EMDR doesn't require a full narrative account the way some talk therapy does. Your therapist needs enough to identify the target, not every detail of the event.

Is it normal to feel emotional during a session?

Yes. Some emotional activation during reprocessing is expected, and your therapist is trained to pace it so you're never overwhelmed.

What if I don't finish processing a memory in one session?

That's common, especially with more complex experiences. Phase 7 (closure) makes sure you leave feeling stable either way, and phase 8 picks up where you left off.

Is Flash technique different from standard EMDR?

Yes. Flash technique is a gentler approach to reprocessing that we offer alongside standard EMDR for clients who want the benefits without as much intensity in the moment.

Can EMDR be done virtually?

Yes. Bilateral stimulation can be delivered in more than one way, so virtual EMDR sessions are a real option, not a compromise.

What happens if I don't have a specific traumatic event in mind?

That's common. An EMDR therapist can help identify a target during the assessment phase, even if you're not sure where to start.

Takeaways and Next Steps

The eight phases of EMDR therapy exist for a reason: to make sure reprocessing happens in an order that's structured, paced, and safe, not something that just happens to you in the moment. You don't have to relive a memory in full detail for it to change how that memory feels.

At Grimsby Counselling Centre, we walk every client through these same phases, with Flash technique available for anyone who wants a gentler way into the work. If you've been curious about EMDR but held back by what you thought it required, this is usually the point where that changes. EMDR works because it respects the pace your nervous system actually needs, not the pace a checklist would prefer.



If any of this resonated, book a free 15-minute consultation to talk it through with our team.