EMDR Therapy in Calgary: What It Is and What to Expect

If you have heard about EMDR therapy but are not entirely sure what it involves, you are not alone. The name itself, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, does not exactly make it obvious.

For some people, EMDR comes up after they have been in therapy before. They may understand why certain experiences affected them, have talked about what happened, and have developed ways of coping. But some reactions are still there.

A particular memory may still feel upsetting. Certain situations bring up anxiety that seems out of proportion to what is happening. Or they know, logically, that something is in the past, but their response to it has not changed as much as they expected.

This is often where questions about EMDR begin.

If you are considering EMDR therapy in Calgary, it can help to understand what the treatment actually involves, what it is used for, and what you should expect before deciding whether it is something you want to explore.

What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a structured form of psychotherapy that was originally developed for working with distressing and traumatic memories.

During EMDR, a person is asked to briefly focus on aspects of a distressing memory while engaging in what is called bilateral stimulation. This commonly involves guided eye movements from side to side, although other forms of bilateral stimulation can also be used.

The eye movements tend to get most of the attention when people hear about EMDR, but they are only one part of the treatment.

EMDR follows an eight phase process that includes understanding a person's history, identifying what may need to be addressed, preparing for the work, processing relevant memories, and reviewing how things are changing over time.

In other words, EMDR is not simply sitting down in your first appointment and immediately going into the most difficult experience of your life.

What is EMDR used for?

EMDR is particularly well known as a treatment used with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, and there is research supporting its use in the treatment of PTSD.

But people looking for EMDR therapy do not always arrive with a PTSD diagnosis.

Sometimes what brings someone in is a distressing experience that still feels surprisingly present.

It might be an accident, abuse, a frightening medical experience, something that happened during childhood, a painful relationship, a significant loss, or another experience that continues to affect how they respond to certain situations.

The important part is not deciding for yourself whether what happened was "bad enough" to qualify as trauma.

A psychologist can help you understand what you are experiencing and whether EMDR, another form of therapy, or a combination of approaches makes sense for your particular situation.

Why consider EMDR if you have already talked about what happened?

This is a reasonable question, particularly for people who have been in therapy before.

Sometimes understanding an experience and changing your response to it are not exactly the same thing.

You might understand why criticism affects you so strongly, for example, and still find yourself becoming overwhelmed when someone is disappointed with you.

You might know that an accident happened years ago and still notice your body becoming tense when you drive past where it happened.

Or you might understand that you are safe in your current relationship while still reacting to certain situations as though an earlier relationship is happening all over again.

That does not mean previous therapy was unsuccessful. It may simply mean there are parts of the experience that could benefit from a different kind of therapeutic work. For some people, EMDR becomes one of the approaches considered at that point.

Do you have to talk about every detail of your trauma?

This is something people often worry about before starting trauma therapy.

EMDR does not necessarily require you to describe every detail of a distressing experience out loud.

Your psychologist will still need to understand enough about your history, symptoms, and current situation to provide appropriate treatment. There will also be discussion about what you want to work on and how particular experiences are affecting you.

But processing a memory through EMDR is not the same as being required to give a detailed verbal account of everything that happened. For someone who has avoided therapy because the idea of telling the entire story feels overwhelming, knowing this can make EMDR feel a little more approachable.

Will you start processing trauma in the first session?

Usually, there is work to do before memory processing begins. The early phases of EMDR involve understanding your history, identifying potential areas of focus, and preparing for the processing work. That preparation is important.

A psychologist may spend time understanding how you currently respond when you become distressed, what helps you regulate, what support you have available, and whether there are other concerns that need attention first.

How much preparation someone needs will vary. There is no benefit in rushing toward the most difficult memory simply because someone has decided to try EMDR.

What does an EMDR session actually feel like?

There is not one experience that everyone has. During the processing portions of EMDR, your psychologist may ask you to bring a particular aspect of a memory to mind. This can include an image, a thought about yourself, an emotion or something you notice physically. Bilateral stimulation is then used for brief periods while you notice what comes up.

Your psychologist will check in with you throughout the process. Some people notice memories, thoughts, emotions or physical sensations shifting as the work progresses. Others may have a different experience. There is no particular response you are supposed to produce. The process is monitored and adjusted based on what is happening for you.

How long does EMDR therapy take?

There is no set number of sessions that applies to everyone.

Someone working with a single distressing event may have a very different treatment course from someone whose difficulties are connected to multiple experiences over many years.

Your current circumstances, symptoms, history, treatment goals, and readiness for processing can all affect the length of therapy. This is one reason to be cautious about promises that EMDR will resolve trauma within a particular number of sessions. A psychologist should be able to talk with you about the treatment plan while also being realistic about what cannot be predicted at the beginning.

How do you know whether EMDR is right for you?

You do not have to know before you book an appointment. An assessment and early conversations with your psychologist are partly about figuring that out.

There may be situations where EMDR appears appropriate. There may also be situations where another therapeutic approach would make more sense, or where some other work needs to happen before EMDR is considered.

At Emeth Psychological Services, the goal is not to use EMDR simply because someone has experienced trauma. The goal is to understand what is happening now, what may be contributing to it, and what approach is most appropriate for the person sitting in front of us. EMDR is structured, but the person receiving it is not a protocol.

Finding EMDR therapy in Calgary

If you are looking for an EMDR therapist or psychologist in Calgary, it is reasonable to ask questions before deciding who you want to work with.

You can ask about their EMDR training, their experience working with the concerns you are bringing in, what the first few appointments usually involve, and how they determine when someone is ready to begin processing. You can also ask what happens if EMDR does not appear to be the best approach for you. A consultation can be useful for exactly this reason. It gives you an opportunity to ask questions before deciding whether you want to proceed.

If you are considering EMDR therapy in Calgary and would like to understand whether it might be appropriate for what you are experiencing, Emeth Psychological Services offers a complimentary consultation.

You do not need to know exactly what kind of therapy you need before you reach out. That is something we can work out together.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for general educational purposes and does not replace psychological assessment, diagnosis or treatment. EMDR may not be appropriate for every person or every concern. If you are considering EMDR or trauma therapy, speaking with a psychologist or qualified mental health professional can help you understand what treatment options may be appropriate for your individual circumstances.