How Might You Feel After an EMDR Session?

EMDR therapy continues to work beyond the therapy session itself. As your brain processes and reorganises difficult memories, thoughts, emotions, dreams, or new insights may continue to emerge in the hours or days following your session. This is a normal part of the EMDR process and often indicates that your mind is continuing to process and heal from past experiences.

Some people feel lighter, calmer, or relieved after an EMDR session. Others may feel emotionally tired, reflective, or occasionally unsettled for a day or two, particularly when working with traumatic memories, PTSD, anxiety, or other distressing experiences. You may notice memories resurfacing or gain new understanding about past events.

To support your emotional wellbeing between sessions, I encourage clients to use the grounding, relaxation, EFT Tapping, and self-soothing techniques we practise together. It can also be helpful to allow yourself time to rest and avoid scheduling highly stressful activities immediately after an EMDR session where possible.

As EMDR therapy progresses, many people report a significant reduction in anxiety, emotional distress, and the impact of traumatic memories. Experiences that once felt overwhelming often become easier to think about, allowing greater confidence, emotional resilience, and a renewed sense of freedom in everyday life.

What to expect during EMDR therapy

EMDR therapy begins with a thorough assessment, where we explore your personal history, current challenges, and the goals you would like to achieve through therapy. This helps us determine whether EMDR is the right approach for you and ensures that you feel safe and supported throughout the process.

Before beginning trauma processing, we will spend time developing coping skills and emotional regulation techniques, such as grounding exercises, relaxation strategies, guided visualisation, EFT Tapping, and breathing techniques. These tools can help you manage difficult emotions both during and between sessions.

When you feel ready, we will identify specific memories, experiences, or situations that continue to cause distress. During the reprocessing phase of EMDR, you will be guided to briefly focus on these memories while using bilateral stimulation. In online EMDR therapy, this often involves guided eye movements or gentle self-tapping on the knees, or shoulders. I will explain and demonstrate these techniques clearly before we begin.

Alternatively, we can use a secure online EMDR platform that provides visual guidance for eye movements during the relevant phases of treatment. Many clients find this a comfortable and effective way to engage in online EMDR sessions.

As traumatic memories are processed, they often become less emotionally overwhelming, allowing new perspectives, insights, and a greater sense of calm to emerge. At the end of each session, we will ensure you feel grounded and settled before finishing, using stabilisation and relaxation techniques where needed.