What Is EMDR Therapy and How Can It Help You Heal?

Tiffany Kettermann
Mar 29
5 min read

What Is EMDR Therapy and How Can It Help You Heal?

By Health Allies Counseling · Updated March 2026· 8 min read Proudly Serving Portland, Oregon & Surrounding Areas

Understanding EMDR: A Breakthrough in Trauma Recovery

If you have ever wondered what is EMDR therapy and could it help me — you are not alone. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of the most researched, evidence-based therapies available today for people living with trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and a range of other mental health challenges. At Health Allies Counseling, serving Portland, Oregon and communities throughout the Pacific Northwest, we see EMDR change lives every day.

Developed by psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation — most commonly guided eye movements — to help the brain process painful memories that have become "stuck." Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR does not require you to describe your trauma in detail. Instead, it works with the brain's own natural healing mechanisms to reduce the emotional charge attached to distressing memories, allowing you to move forward.

How Does EMDR Actually Work?

The core idea behind EMDR is that traumatic or distressing experiences can overwhelm the brain's normal processing capacity. When this happens, memories get stored in a way that keeps them emotionally raw — even years later. A smell, a sound, or a scene can suddenly make a past event feel present and terrifying.

During an EMDR therapy session, your therapist will guide your eyes back and forth (or use tapping or audio tones) while you briefly focus on a distressing memory. This bilateral stimulation mimics what happens during REM sleep — the phase of sleep where the brain naturally processes and consolidates memories. Over a series of sessions, the memory loses its emotional power. It doesn't disappear; it simply becomes something that happened in the past, rather than something your nervous system is still reacting to right now.

Research published by the American Psychological Association recognizes EMDR as an effective treatment for PTSD, and the World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends it as a frontline trauma therapy.

The 8 Phases of EMDR Therapy

A structured EMDR treatment plan follows eight carefully designed phases. This structure ensures both safety and effectiveness throughout your healing journey:

History-taking & treatment planning — Your therapist learns about your history, identifies target memories, and creates a personalized roadmap.
Preparation — You learn stabilization techniques and what to expect, building a sense of safety before processing begins.
Assessment — A specific target memory is chosen and explored, including the image, negative belief, and emotions attached to it.
Desensitization — Bilateral stimulation begins while you hold the target memory, reducing its emotional intensity.
Installation — A positive, adaptive belief replaces the negative one, strengthening your new, healthier perspective.
Body scan — Any remaining physical tension connected to the memory is identified and released.
Closure — Each session ends with grounding techniques to return you to a place of stability.
Re-evaluation — Progress is reviewed at the start of each new session to guide next steps.

Who Can Benefit From EMDR Therapy?

While EMDR for PTSD is the most well-known application, research continues to demonstrate its effectiveness across a much wider range of conditions. People in Portland, Oregon and across the state come to Health Allies Counseling seeking EMDR therapy for trauma and PTSD (including childhood trauma, accident trauma, and medical trauma), anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and panic disorder, depression linked to past experiences, grief and loss, phobias and specific fears, performance anxiety for athletes and public speakers, addiction with trauma roots, and relationship difficulties stemming from attachment wounds.

EMDR is suitable for both adults and children and can be adapted for online therapy — making it accessible to clients throughout Oregon, including those in rural communities who may not have local access to a trained EMDR therapist.

EMDR vs. Traditional Talk Therapy: What's the Difference?

Traditional talk therapy — such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) — works largely through conscious insight: identifying and changing thought patterns. Talk therapy is valuable and effective, and we integrate it into our work at Health Allies Counseling.

EMDR therapy, however, works on a different level. It targets the nervous system directly, addressing how traumatic memories are physically stored in the body and brain. Many clients find that EMDR produces results more quickly than traditional therapy for trauma-related issues — sometimes achieving in 8 to 12 sessions what years of talk therapy could not fully resolve. This makes EMDR in Oregon an increasingly popular first choice for trauma treatment, particularly for people who feel stuck despite having insight into their problems.

For a deeper scientific understanding of how trauma rewires the brain — and how therapies like EMDR address this — we highly recommend The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the most influential books in trauma research.

Is EMDR Right for You?

The best way to know whether EMDR therapy is appropriate for your situation is to speak with a trained clinician. EMDR is not ideal for everyone at every stage of their journey — for example, clients who are currently in crisis, actively using substances, or who lack sufficient emotional stability may benefit from some preparatory work first. At Health Allies Counseling, our therapists take time to understand your full picture before recommending an approach.

If you are curious about whether EMDR near me could help — whether you are in Portland's Pearl District, Southeast Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego, Salem, Eugene, or anywhere else in Oregon — we invite you to reach out. We also offer telehealth EMDR therapy sessions for clients throughout the state, so geography is rarely a barrier to getting started. You can learn more about our full range of services on our therapy services page.

What to Expect in Your First EMDR Session

Many people feel nervous before their first appointment with an EMDR therapist. That's completely normal. Your first session will not jump straight into trauma processing. Instead, it is a chance for you and your therapist to get to know each other, discuss your goals, and begin building the safety and trust that effective EMDR therapy requires.

You will leave your first session with a clearer sense of what the process looks like, some grounding tools you can use between sessions, and a collaborative plan for moving forward. Most clients begin to notice meaningful shifts within the first several sessions of active EMDR processing.

Ready to take that first step? Explore what our team can offer on our about our therapists page — every member of the Health Allies Counseling team is fully trained and certified in EMDR therapy.

EMDR Therapy Serving Oregon — Including Portland and Beyond

Health Allies Counseling is proud to offer EMDR therapy in Portland, Oregon and telehealth services to clients throughout the state. Our team works with individuals across a wide range of communities, including Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Gresham, Tigard, Salem, Eugene, Bend, Medford, Corvallis, and statewide via telehealth.

Ready to Start Your Healing Journey?

The compassionate, certified EMDR therapists at Health Allies Counseling are here to support you. Schedule your free 15-minute consultation today — no commitment required. We accept most insurance and offer evening and weekend hours to fit your schedule.