Therapy approach
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
A therapy that helps your brain finish processing memories it got stuck on — so they stop showing up as if they're still happening.
Some memories need finishing, not just understanding.
Your brain already knows how to heal. EMDR clears the way.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation — usually guided eye movements — to help your brain reprocess traumatic or distressing memories. Developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, it works differently from talk therapy: instead of analyzing what happened, it helps your nervous system finish what it started.
The memory still feels like it's happening right now.
It was years ago. You know that. But your body doesn't. A sound, a smell, a look on someone's face — and you're back in it. The racing heart, the tight chest, the urge to leave the room.
You've talked about it. You understand what happened. Understanding hasn't changed how it lands in your body when the trigger arrives.
EMDR doesn't erase the memory. It changes what the memory does to you.
In a session, your therapist guides you through the memory while you follow a bilateral stimulus — usually side-to-side eye movements. The memory stays, but the charge it carries shifts. What felt overwhelming starts to settle into the past, where it belongs.
Common concerns EMDR is used for
EMDR is used for a range of mental health concerns. Whether it fits depends on the person and the clinician's assessment.
- Trauma and PTSD — intrusive memories, flashbacks, and avoidance after abuse, accidents or other traumatic events
- Anxiety and phobias — fears rooted in past experiences that the nervous system hasn't resolved
- Depression and mood disorders — when low mood is connected to unprocessed distressing events
- Addictions and self-destructive behaviours — when substance use or harmful patterns are driven by unprocessed trauma
- Distressing memories — experiences that still carry a charge long after they happened
You don't have to describe everything that happened.
EMDR follows a structured protocol. Your therapist starts with preparation — building the coping resources you'll need. When you're ready, you focus on the target memory while following bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements, sometimes taps or tones). You don't have to narrate the memory in detail.
Sessions often bring up emotions, but the therapist guides you through them at a pace your nervous system can handle. The aim is for the memory to feel further away afterward — still there, but quieter.
EMDR can be part of the plan without becoming the whole plan.
Most therapists are trained in more than one approach. Good care is not about forcing every concern through the same model — it's about drawing on the right tools at the right time, guided by what you're working through and how therapy is progressing.
EMDR without the jargon.
It depends on what you're working on. A single distressing event may need fewer sessions than complex or repeated trauma, which takes longer — sometimes months. Your therapist will pace the work to what your nervous system can handle.
No. EMDR doesn't require you to describe the trauma in detail. Your therapist needs enough context to guide the process, but the brain does the reprocessing — you don't have to narrate every moment.
The eye movements are a form of bilateral stimulation that appears to help the brain's memory-processing system do its job. The exact mechanism is still being researched, but EMDR as a whole is an evidence-based therapy for trauma. It's not the movements alone; it's the structured protocol around them.
Sessions can bring up intense emotions temporarily. A trained EMDR therapist prepares you for this with stabilization techniques before processing begins, and paces the work so your nervous system stays within a manageable range.
Yes. Virtual EMDR uses guided on-screen stimulation instead of in-room eye movements. Our Intake Specialists can tell you which EMDR-trained therapists offer online sessions.
No. Our Intake Specialists can help match you to an EMDR-trained therapist based on what you're experiencing. A formal diagnosis is not required.
Care you can lean on
Sessions with our registered therapists are covered by most extended health and workplace benefit plans. Not sure what yours includes? We're happy to help you check before you book.
Sessions start at $90 and vary by therapist. Not sure where to begin? Our Intake Specialists can talk through fees, coverage, and which therapist fits what you are facing — call (905) 319-1488 during business hours.
Ready when you are — we're here to listen
Not sure which approach fits? You don't have to be — our Intake Specialists match you to a therapist trained for what you're facing.