How to Increase the Effectiveness of EMDR Therapy: 10 Proven Tips
In this post, I’ll explore 10 proven ways to maximize your EMDR therapy outcomes, backed by neuroscience and clinical experience!
#1 Build a Strong Therapeutic Alliance
The relationship between you and your EMDR therapist is one of the most important factors for success. Feeling safe, supported, and understood allows your brain to relax, fully engage, and process traumatic material. If you as a client ever feel unsafe and not alligned with your therapist, discuss that in your session. Prioritize open communication, honesty, and trust with your clinician.
#2 Don’t Rush the Preparation Phase
Phases 1 and 2 of EMDR — history taking and preparation — lay the foundation for effective processing. Spend ample time developing:
Coping skills
Grounding techniques
Emotional regulation strategies
This preparation helps ensure you are ready to handle the emotional intensity that may arise during processing. If you start EMDR too early, your brain has a very difficult time re-processing the material.
#3 Consistency is KEY
Regular EMDR sessions help keep the momentum of processing active. Consistency allows your brain to stay engaged in adaptive information processing, leading to faster resolution of symptoms. EMDR is highly effective once to twice a week, this will allow for quicker positive outcomes. If you ever need to reschedule an appointment- reschedule for the same week.
#4 Strengthen Mind-Body Connection
Practices like mindfulness, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, breathwork, and meditation can support EMDR by calming your nervous system and enhancing emotional awareness. A regulated body creates a safer container for deep EMDR work. In the preparation phase we learn container and safe/calm place. Practicing these tools when not in session is vital. Spending at least 20 minutes outside in nature has been proven to allow your mind and body connect naturally! Practicing PolyVagal techniques also are extremely helpful—being able to identify which nervous system you are in REGULATES!
#5 Journaling
Journaling allows you to track thoughts, emotions, and memories that arise between sessions.# This can provide valuable material to bring into EMDR and help your therapist better understand what needs targeting. Not into Journaling? It’s ok! Drawing, painting, crafting or even talking to text are some other ways we can track our thoughts.
#6 Optimize Sleep and Healthy Eating
Your brain processes information most effectively when it’s well-rested and well-fed. Sleep, hydration, and balanced nutrition support neuroplasticity — your brain's ability to form new, healthy connections—which is what we are doing in EMDR. Creating those new pathways to allow for optimal healing. P.S. take those probiotics and multivitamins!
#7 Embrace Dual Attention Stimulus Fully
During EMDR, it's crucial to stay present with the bilateral stimulation (BLS) — whether it's eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones. Fully engaging with the BLS while allowing thoughts, feelings, and images to flow improves processing efficiency. If you ever feel unsafe or dissociating, let your therapist know.
#8 Be Open to Unexpected Memories
Trauma can be stored in fragmented ways. Sometimes seemingly unrelated memories surface during EMDR. Trust the process — your brain is accessing what needs healing, even if it surprises you.
#9 Address Physical Health Issues
Chronic pain, hormonal imbalances, or untreated medical issues can interfere with EMDR progress. Ensuring your physical health is managed supports your brain’s capacity for emotional processing. Please schedule with your PCP regularly and go to the dentist every 6 months! Oral health IS PHYSICAL health.
#10 Patience & Self-Compassion
Healing is not linear. Allow yourself grace through the process. Celebrate small victories and trust that with time and persistence, EMDR can lead to profound transformation. Think of it this way. You are walking into an ocean or lake- as you walk into the shoreline you notice a rock. As you pick up the rock, you will notice the sand and other mineral deposits create cloudy murky water. As time goes, the sand and other mineral deposits settle as if there was never a rock picked up. This is what we are doing in EMDR—it may get weird or unsettling for a little bit, but you will be able to see more clear as time goes on.
