EMDR Therapy
A Complete Guide to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Overview
Trauma doesn’t always stay in the past. For many women, a single distressing event — or years of repeated ones — continues to surface as anxiety, flashbacks, panic, or substance use long after the event itself has ended.
EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of the most researched treatments available for helping the brain finally process those memories so they stop driving daily life. If you’re searching for what is EMDR therapy on behalf of a loved one, or you’re a healthcare professional evaluating treatment options for a patient navigating co-occurring trauma and addiction, this guide breaks down how EMDR works, what a session looks like at Canopy Pines, and why it has become a cornerstone of trauma-informed, gender-specific treatment for women.
What Is the Purpose of EMDR Therapy?
The purpose of EMDR is to help the brain “unstick” traumatic memories that haven’t been processed normally. The American Psychological Association explains that unprocessed traumatic memories can become lodged in the brain, contributing to a wide range of emotional and psychological symptoms that persist well beyond the original event, according to the American Psychological Association. EMDR works to reprocess those memories so they’re stored as ordinary, non-distressing past events instead of live emotional triggers.
What Is a Typical EMDR Session Like?
A typical EMDR session lasts 60 to 90 minutes. The client and therapist first identify a specific memory to target, along with the negative belief attached to it (for example, “I am not safe” or “It was my fault”). The therapist then guides the client through sets of bilateral stimulation while the client notices any thoughts, feelings, or body sensations that arise. Over the course of the session, the goal is to shift from the negative belief toward a more adaptive, positive one, a process described in detail by the EMDR International Association.
Licensed therapist guiding a client through bilateral eye movements during an EMDR therapy session
How to Identify Targets in Standard EMDR Therapy
Before reprocessing can begin, a trained EMDR therapist at Canopy Pines works with the client to identify specific “targets” — the discrete memories, images, or triggers that are fueling current distress. This typically involves:
- History-taking: The therapist gathers a full picture of past experiences, current symptoms, and triggers, then maps out which memories appear most connected to present-day distress.
- Identifying the negative cognition: The client names the negative belief tied to the memory, such as “I’m powerless” or “I can’t trust anyone.”
- Identifying the desired positive cognition: The client and therapist define the more adaptive belief they’re working toward, such as “I survived” or “I am safe now.”
- Body scan and emotional check: The therapist asks where the distress is felt physically and how intense it feels, using it as a baseline to track progress across sessions.
This target-identification phase is part of the broader eight-phase EMDR protocol and is what separates clinical EMDR from informal eye-movement exercises — it should always be conducted by a trained, licensed mental health clinician.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Founded and Led By Dr. Lantie Jorandby
Dr. Lantie Jorandby has dedicated her professional life to treating women with mental illness and addiction, and she is among the most credentialed addiction psychiatrists practicing in the United States today. She is triple board-certified in general psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine.
How Does EMDR Benefit Women?
The benefits of EMDR therapy are especially relevant for women, who are statistically more likely to experience interpersonal trauma, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and childbirth-related trauma. A study of women receiving EMDR for childbirth-related post-traumatic stress found that nearly 65% met criteria for PTSD before treatment, and the majority showed a clinically meaningful reduction in symptoms following EMDR, according to research published on PubMed Central. For EMDR therapy for women, treatment can also be layered with complementary approaches such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address the full picture of trauma, mood, and substance use.
What Mental Health Disorders Does EMDR Help Treat?
While EMDR is best known as one of several ptsd therapies clinicians turn to first, its use has expanded well beyond post-traumatic stress disorder. A review of 90 studies found benefits for conditions including addiction, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and chronic pain, as reported by Harvard Health. Because addiction and trauma are so frequently intertwined, EMDR is increasingly used alongside programs like trauma therapy and residential treatment for substance use disorder.
EMDR Therapy for Women: A Holistic Approach
Effective EMDR therapy for women holistic care doesn’t treat trauma in isolation. Women entering treatment for addiction often carry unprocessed grief, relational trauma, or medical trauma that fuels substance use. Pairing EMDR with medical oversight, nutrition, movement, and peer support allows the nervous system to settle while the underlying trauma is being reprocessed. This integrated model is also why women’s rehab centers in Florida dual diagnosis emdr therapy programs increasingly combine EMDR with psychiatric care rather than offering it as a stand-alone service. At Canopy Pines, this kind of integration starts with what to expect from day one of care, where trauma-focused therapies are woven into a full continuum of treatment.
EMDR Sound Therapy
EMDR doesn’t always rely on eye movements alone. Bilateral stimulation can also be delivered through alternating auditory tones played through headphones, or through alternating tactile taps — an approach often called EMDR sound therapy or auditory bilateral stimulation. This variation is useful for clients who have difficulty tracking visual movement, who experience eye strain, or who simply respond better to sound-based cueing. The underlying mechanism is the same: alternating left-right stimulation engages both hemispheres of the brain to support memory reprocessing, a concept rooted in the dual-attention model described in research on EMDR’s role in medicine published by the National Institutes of Health.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work for Trauma?
Once a target memory is identified, the therapist guides the client through sets of bilateral stimulation while the client holds the memory, the negative belief, and the associated body sensation in mind simultaneously. Between sets, the therapist briefly checks in, then continues until the distress associated with the memory decreases. The aim isn’t to erase the memory but to change how it’s stored in the brain — from a vivid, emotionally charged trigger to a memory the person can recall without being overwhelmed by it. Over a course of sessions, this reprocessing tends to generalize, meaning related triggers and beliefs often improve even when they weren’t directly targeted.
Statistics on How Effective is EMDR Therapy for Trauma
EMDR’s effectiveness is supported by decades of clinical research:
- Five sessions of EMDR eliminated PTSD in 92.7% of a sample of earthquake survivors, with symptom reduction in the remaining participants, according to the EMDR Institute.
- Veterans receiving 12 sessions of EMDR showed a 78% reduction in PTSD symptoms, with a notably lower treatment dropout rate compared to other trauma therapies.
- Up to 90% of single-incident trauma survivors no longer met PTSD diagnostic criteria after just three 90-minute sessions, per research summarized by PTSD UK.
- EMDR has been formally recognized as an effective trauma treatment by the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association, and the APA’s clinical practice guideline includes EMDR as a recommended treatment for PTSD in adults, as noted by the American Psychological Association.
Highlighted Services
Residential
24 hour evidence-based care that treats addiction and mental health together. Every woman receives a full psychiatric evaluation and a customized treatment plan
Trauma Therapy
We understand that trauma is often deeply connected to substance use, emotional distress, and mental health struggles. Our highlighly certified experts are here to help
Medical Detox
For women who have become dependent, withdrawal can bring dangerous effects, including death. Medical detox at Canopy Pines provides 24-hour clinical oversight.
Why Choose a Trauma-Informed, Women-Only Setting for EMDR?
EMDR is most effective when it’s delivered as part of a broader, medically supervised plan of care — not as a stand-alone technique. At Canopy Pines, treatment is led by Dr. Lantie Jorandby, who is triple board-certified in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine, and trauma-focused therapies are integrated into a full continuum that includes medical detox, residential care, and aftercare planning. For women carrying trauma alongside a substance use or mental health diagnosis, this kind of dual-diagnosis, gender-specific setting allows EMDR to do its work safely, with medical and psychiatric support close by every step of the way.
Medically Reviewed By Dr. Lantie Jorandby
Triple Board-Certified in Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, & Addiction Medicine
Last Reviewed: June 2026