The 8 Phases of EMDR: What Actually Happens in a Session
If you’ve been thinking about trying EMDR but keep putting off booking, you’re not alone. For a lot of people, it’s not doubt about whether it could help — it’s simply not knowing what actually happens in EMDR therapy that makes the first step feel harder than it should.
That uncertainty is completely understandable. EMDR looks and sounds different from talk therapy, and if no one’s walked you through it before, it’s natural to feel a bit hesitant about what you’re signing up for.
So let’s take the mystery out of it. Here’s a clear, practical walk-through of the eight phases of EMDR, from your first conversation with your practitioner through to how progress is reviewed session by session.
A Note on Pacing
Before we get into the phases, one important thing: EMDR is not a rigid, one-size-fits-all script. Your practitioner will move at a pace that suits you.
Not every phase happens in every single session. Some phases — particularly preparation — can span several sessions, especially if building a sense of safety and stability takes time. Your comfort and readiness always come first.
Phase 1: History Taking
Your first session (or sessions) is about your practitioner getting to know you. This includes your personal history, current concerns, and what’s brought you to therapy now.
Your practitioner will also gently assess your readiness for EMDR — everyone starts from a different place, and that’s completely normal. From here, you and your practitioner build a treatment plan together, identifying the memories or issues that seem most relevant to work on.
Phase 2: Preparation
This phase is about building trust and giving you tools before any deeper work begins. Your practitioner will explain how bilateral stimulation works and what to expect from it.
You’ll also learn grounding and self-soothing techniques you can use both in session and in daily life. Importantly, you and your practitioner will agree on a “stop signal” — a simple way for you to pause the process at any time. You are always in control.
Phase 3: Assessment
Once you’re ready to begin working on a specific memory, your practitioner helps you identify a few key things:
- The target memory or image connected to the issue
- The negative belief attached to it (for example, “I’m not safe”)
- The positive belief you’d like to have instead (for example, “I am safe now”)
- A baseline distress rating, known as a SUDs score (Subjective Units of Disturbance), which simply measures how distressing the memory feels right now
This gives you and your practitioner a clear starting point to work from.
Phase 4: Desensitisation
This is the phase most people picture when they think of EMDR — where bilateral stimulation is used while you bring the target memory to mind. We’ve written a full explainer on how and why this works in Bilateral Stimulation Explained: The Engine Room of EMDR Therapy, so we won’t repeat it all here. In short, this phase continues until the distress connected to the memory has reduced.
Phase 5: Installation
Once distress has eased, the focus shifts to strengthening the positive belief you identified earlier. Your practitioner uses bilateral stimulation to help that positive belief feel more true and more connected to the memory, so it can start to replace the old, negative one.
Phase 6: Body Scan
Trauma and distress aren’t only stored in our thoughts — they can sit in the body too. In this phase, you’re asked to notice any lingering physical tension or discomfort while holding the memory and positive belief in mind, so this can be addressed before the session wraps up.
Phase 7: Closure
Every EMDR session ends with closure, regardless of whether the target memory has been fully processed. Your practitioner will use grounding techniques to make sure you leave the session feeling stable and settled, not activated or overwhelmed.
Phase 8: Re-evaluation
At the start of your next session, your practitioner checks in on how you’ve been since the last one. This includes revisiting the target memory to see how it feels now, and reviewing your overall progress before deciding what to focus on next.
What This Looks Like Online at Family Connection
At Family Connection Counselling & EMDR, all of this is delivered through secure online sessions — which surprises some people, but works well in practice. Bilateral stimulation can be guided effectively via video call, and many clients find the familiarity of their own space actually supports the sense of safety this work relies on.
Nadia takes the same client-led, unhurried approach online as she would in person: your pace, your stop signal, your comfort, always front and centre.
If any part of what brings you to EMDR involves thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or a family or domestic violence situation, please know that immediate support is available right now through Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Ready to Take the First Step?
Knowing what happens in EMDR therapy is often the first step toward feeling ready for it. If you’re considering EMDR and want to talk through whether it’s right for you, we’d love to hear from you.
