"I Tried EMDR and It Didn't Work" — What Might Have Actually Happened

By Northwest Mental Health Alliance

We hear this regularly. Someone comes in, mentions they tried EMDR before, and says it didn't work. Sometimes they say it made things worse. Sometimes they just say nothing seemed to happen.

Before we take that at face value, we ask a few questions. And more often than not, what they describe doesn't sound like EMDR.

What people describe

The accounts vary, but certain patterns come up repeatedly.

Someone who spent sessions with their therapist doing eye movements for long stretches — twenty minutes at a time — without pausing, without the therapist checking in, without any sense of where the session was going. They left feeling disoriented and didn't notice any lasting change.

Someone who was moved into trauma processing in the second or third session, before any groundwork had been laid. They left feeling flooded and raw. Subsequent sessions were hard to attend. Things felt stirred up rather than resolved.

Someone whose sessions consistently ran over time or ended abruptly, with no real closure. They'd leave carrying whatever had come up in session — sometimes for days.

Someone whose therapist described themselves as EMDR trained but seemed to be using the bilateral stimulation as an add-on to regular talk therapy, rather than following a structured protocol.

If any of these descriptions sound familiar, it's worth considering that what you experienced may not have been complete EMDR. Because complete EMDR, delivered correctly, shouldn't feel like this.

What EMDR is actually supposed to feel like

Real EMDR is hard work. It asks you to hold difficult memories in mind and trust a process that can feel strange and nonlinear. Some activation between sessions is normal — your brain is continuing to process material after the session ends.

But there's a difference between hard work that moves somewhere and hard work that leaves you worse off.

Properly delivered EMDR should feel like: a session with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Processing that has direction, even when it feels circuitous. A sense that you are being tracked and guided — not left alone with difficult material. A clear closure at the end of every session so you can leave and function. And over time, a palpable shift in how the targeted material feels — not just that you've talked about it, but that your relationship to it has actually changed.

Why incomplete EMDR is so common

EMDR basic training is a two-day course. The therapist learns the protocol in theory, practices it briefly with other trainees, and is then credentialed to offer it to clients. Most therapists who complete basic training never pursue the consultation hours required for EMDRIA certification — the process that would have an experienced clinician actually look at their work and catch errors.

The result is a significant number of practitioners using the bilateral stimulation component of EMDR without the full protocol that surrounds it. They're not being dishonest. They believe they're doing EMDR. They just weren't trained deeply enough to know the difference between what they're doing and what EMDR fully requires.

What this means for you

If you've had a negative or unsuccessful experience with EMDR, we want to offer you a few things.

First: it wasn't your fault. If the protocol wasn't followed correctly, the outcome isn't a reflection of your readiness to heal or your capacity to benefit from treatment.

Second: EMDR itself isn't the problem. The evidence base for EMDR is substantial. When delivered correctly, by a well-trained and supervised clinician, it is one of the most effective treatments available for trauma. An incomplete or incorrect version is not representative of what the approach can do.

Third: it may be worth trying again. We understand the hesitation — why go back to something that hurt you or didn't help? Because this time, you'd know what to look for. And you'd know what to ask.

What we do differently

At NWMHA, EMDR is our specialty. Every clinician here practices under ongoing supervision and consultation. Our clinical director, Kevin St-Jacques, is an EMDRIA-approved consultant — which means he has met the field's highest standard for EMDR expertise. Interns are supervised closely. Cases are reviewed regularly. No one is practicing in isolation.

We follow the full eight-phase protocol. Every time. Preparation before processing. Resourcing before touching trauma material. Closure at the end of every session. Reevaluation at the start of the next.

We can't promise any particular outcome — no ethical clinician can. But we can promise that what you receive here will be EMDR, done correctly, by clinicians who take the protocol seriously.

If you've been burned before and you're willing to try again — we'd be honored to talk to you. Your experience matters to us, and we'll take it seriously from the very first conversation.

Apply for an intake — we respond within 3 business days. If you've had a difficult experience with EMDR before, please mention it in your application so we can approach things thoughtfully. →

What to Expect in Your First EMDR Session

What to Expect in Your First EMDR Session

If you've been told EMDR might help you — and you've spent the last hour down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what it actually involves — this post is for you.

EMDR has a reputation for being mysterious. People hear "eye movement" and picture someone dangling a watch in front of your face while you confess your deepest fears. That's not what happens. Let's walk through what actually does.

First, a quick reality check on what EMDR is

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's a structured therapy approach developed in the late 1980s that's now one of the most well-researched treatments for trauma and PTSD. The World Health Organization recommends it. So does the American Psychological Association. It's not fringe — it's evidence-based.

The basic idea: traumatic memories get stored differently in the brain than normal memories. They stay "stuck" with the full emotional and physical charge of the original event. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation — typically side-to-side eye movements, taps, or sounds — to help your brain reprocess those memories so they lose their grip on you.

Skeptical? That's fair. The mechanism isn't fully understood yet. But the outcomes are well-documented. We've seen it work on people who've tried years of talk therapy without much movement. That's why we built our entire practice around it.

What actually happens in session one

It's mostly talking

Your first session is an intake and assessment. Your therapist is getting to know you — what brought you in, what you've tried before, what your life looks like, what feels safe to work on first. There's no rushing.

Your therapist will explain the process

A good EMDR therapist walks you through exactly what to expect before anything happens. You'll learn about the phases of treatment, how to signal if you need to stop, and what "processing" actually feels like. You're in control of the pace.

You might do some resourcing

Many therapists will spend early sessions building "resources" — mental anchors of safety and calm that you can return to if feelings gets intense. Think of it as building the floor before you open the door.

You won't have to narrate everything in detail

This surprises people. EMDR doesn't require you to describe your trauma in detail to a therapist who writes everything down. You hold the memory in mind — your therapist doesn't need to know all of it (sometimes they don’t need to know ANY of it!). That's part of why it works for people who've found traditional talk therapy re-traumatizing.

What processing actually feels like

During bilateral stimulation, most people describe a sense of the memory "moving" — emotions and sensations shifting, sometimes getting more intense briefly before settling. Some people cry. Some feel nothing at all at first. Some feel physical sensations in their body as things release.

The goal isn't to relive the trauma. It's to change your relationship to it.

How long does it take

It depends on what you're working on. A single incident trauma — like a car accident or a medical procedure that happened to someone who had a pretty OK childhood— might resolve in 3 to 6 sessions. Complex, childhood, or developmental trauma takes longer. Your therapist will give you a realistic picture after the assessment.

What to do after a session

Processing doesn't stop when you leave the room. Your brain continues working on things between sessions. Some people feel tired. Some feel emotional in the days after. Some feel lighter. Don't schedule anything intense right after your first few sessions if you can help it.

One last thing

You don't have to be sure EMDR is right for you before you apply. That's what the intake process is for. You meet with a therapist, talk through your situation, and figure out together whether this is the right fit. No pressure, no commitment.

Ready to find out if EMDR is right for you? Apply online — we respond within 3 business days.