Your First EMDR Session: How to Prepare and What to Expect

Your First EMDR Session: How to Prepare and What to Expect

One common worry about EMDR is that you will walk into your first appointment, choose the hardest thing that has ever happened to you, and immediately have to relive it. Thankfully, that is not how EMDR begins.

Early EMDR sessions are about helping your therapist understand what brings you in, making a plan together, explaining how EMDR works, and making sure you feel prepared for the work ahead. 

The good news is: you also do not have to tell every detail of what happened in order for EMDR to be effective.

If you are feeling nervous about starting, knowing what to expect can make the first appointment feel a little less uncertain. Here is what the beginning of EMDR therapy may look like, how you can prepare, and what happens before memory reprocessing begins.

If you are still deciding whether EMDR is right for you, start with our guide to what EMDR therapy is and how it works.

The Short Version

There is no prize for moving quickly. The goal is to move at a pace that makes sense for you.

How to Prepare for Your First EMDR Session

It can help to arrive with a general sense of what has been bothering you and what you hope might be different. However, you definitely don’t need to map out a timeline of your life, choose the perfect memory, or prepare for what you are going to say. 

You might think about:

Questions, hesitation, and uncertainty are all appropriate things to bring into the first session. Your therapist needs to understand those concerns in order to help determine whether EMDR feels like the right approach.

If possible, you may also want to give yourself a little breathing room after your first appointment rather than scheduling something immediately afterward.

If you are meeting online, choose a private place where you can speak freely and stay focused during the session.

What Happens at the Beginning of EMDR Therapy?

EMDR is an eight-phase treatment model, but those phases do not necessarily correspond neatly to individual therapy sessions. Some people move through the early phases relatively quickly. Others need more time. Your therapist will adjust the pace based on your history, current circumstances, goals, and readiness for reprocessing.

The beginning typically includes two important parts: understanding your history and developing a treatment plan, and preparing you for the work ahead.

Understanding What Brings You to Therapy

Your therapist will want to understand what is happening now, what you would like help with, and what experiences may be connected to the concerns bringing you to therapy.

They may ask about things like:

You do not have to tell the full story of a traumatic experience in detail. EMDR is different from therapies that depend on repeatedly recounting an event from beginning to end. Your therapist needs enough information to understand what you are experiencing and plan treatment, but you can talk with them about what feels manageable to share.

Together, you may also begin identifying possible targets for future EMDR work. Targets might include experiences from the past that continue to feel distressing, situations in the present that trigger a strong response, or future situations in which you would like to respond differently. Targets may evolve over time and do not need to be determined right away. 

Preparation Before Reprocessing

Before beginning memory reprocessing, your therapist will explain what EMDR involves and help you prepare for what may come up during and between sessions.

You may practice strategies that help you feel more grounded or regulate strong emotions.

Depending on you and your therapist, this might include:

Your therapist will also explain how you can communicate if you need to slow down or pause during EMDR.

That sense of collaboration is important. In EMDR, you remain an active participant in the process, including its pace.

For some people, preparation is relatively brief. Others benefit from spending more time building coping skills, developing trust with the therapist, or creating greater stability before beginning reprocessing. Needing more preparation does not mean you are doing EMDR incorrectly. It means the treatment is being adapted to you.

What About the Eye Movements or Tapping?

The eye movements most people associate with EMDR are one form of bilateral stimulation, often shortened to BLS. Depending on the therapist and the client, EMDR may involve following a therapist’s fingers or another visual stimulus with your eyes, alternating taps, or other forms of bilateral stimulation.

Your therapist may introduce or practice this with you before any reprocessing begins so that you understand what it feels like and can discuss what is most appropriate for you. The bilateral stimulation is one part of a larger, structured therapy. EMDR is not simply “moving your eyes while thinking about something traumatic.”

When Does Reprocessing Begin?

There is no universal session number when reprocessing should begin. Before moving into that part of EMDR, your therapist will consider things such as the target you are working on, your ability to stay connected to the present while experiencing distress, the resources and support available to you, and what else may be happening in your life.

Once reprocessing begins, your therapist will ask you to bring a particular aspect of the target experience to mind while using bilateral stimulation.

You will then notice what comes up, which might include thoughts, emotions, images, memories, or physical sensations. You will then briefly share what you notice with your therapist.

Your therapist helps guide the process, monitor how you are doing, and adjust the pace as needed. Our EMDR therapy page explains more about how we use EMDR at Nashville Psych.

What Might You Notice After an EMDR Session?

People respond differently to EMDR sessions, including the early ones. After an appointment, you might feel relieved to have a plan, tired from talking about difficult material, thoughtful about something that came up, emotionally stirred up, or simply ready to get on with the rest of your day. There is no particular reaction you are supposed to have.

As EMDR progresses, you may also notice thoughts, memories, dreams, emotions, or physical sensations between sessions. Your therapist can talk with you ahead of time about what to do if this happens and what they would like you to keep track of.

A few things may help:

If you experience an urgent mental health crisis or are concerned about your immediate safety, call or text 988, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency department.

Is EMDR the Right Fit for You?

EMDR is one of several approaches we use to work with trauma, PTSD, and other distressing experiences. It can be very helpful for some people, but it is not automatically the right approach for everyone. Part of beginning EMDR therapy is determining whether the approach fits what you are experiencing, what you want to work on, and what you need from therapy right now.

Your therapist may recommend EMDR, another trauma-focused approach, or a combination of approaches. You can learn more about how we work with trauma on our trauma and PTSD therapy page. We have also written about everyday triggers and what Manchester by the Sea gets right about PTSD.

If you have been thinking about EMDR and would like help deciding whether it may be a good fit, schedule a free 15-minute consultation with our Client Care team. We will ask you a little about what you are looking for, and we can help connect you with a therapist whose training and approach fit your needs.

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Daniel Goldstein, Ph.D.

Frequently Asked Questions About Your First EMDR Session

Do you process traumatic memories in the first EMDR session?

Not necessarily. Early EMDR therapy generally includes history-taking, treatment planning, education about the approach, and preparation. Some people move through these phases more quickly than others.

Your therapist will determine with you when it makes sense to begin reprocessing based on your needs, goals, and readiness.

Do I have to describe my trauma in detail?

No. EMDR does not require you to give a detailed verbal account of everything that happened. Your therapist will need enough information to understand what you are experiencing and plan treatment, but you can talk together about how much detail feels appropriate and useful.

How should I prepare for my first EMDR appointment?

You do not need to prepare a timeline or choose a specific traumatic memory before you arrive. It may be helpful to think generally about what is bothering you now, what situations or reactions you would like to change, what helps you feel grounded, and any questions or worries you have about EMDR.

How many EMDR sessions will I need?

There is no set number. The length of EMDR therapy depends on what you are working on, your history, your current circumstances, how you respond to treatment, and whether EMDR is being used as one part of a broader course of therapy.

Your therapist will talk with you about your goals and reassess the treatment plan as the work progresses.

Can EMDR be done online?

Yes. EMDR therapists can adapt the eight phases of EMDR for secure telehealth, including different ways of using bilateral stimulation online. Whether online EMDR is appropriate depends on the individual client, therapist, circumstances, and treatment needs.

Nashville Psych offers EMDR both in person and online for eligible clients in Tennessee. Psychologists at Nashville Psych can also see clients in PSYPACT states.