EMDR

A trauma therapy in which a person holds a memory in mind while following alternating eye movements, taps or tones. Clinicians disagree about why it works, but several agree on where it fits and how carefully it must be paced.

Our summary of the approach · 12 claims from 3 people, in their own words

Filter & sortEveryone, our order12 claims

Who uses this model Everyone Arielle Schwartz 5 Annie Wright 4 Scott Alexander 3

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Traumatic memories are poorly integrated and cannot take in new information.

Arielle Schwartz by 27 Oct 2017 Clinical psychologist, EMDR consultant and yoga teacher in Boulder, Colorado These memories are not integrated with other positive experiences and are limited in their ability to accommodate new information. How Does EMDR Therapy Work?drarielleschwartz.com · by 27 Oct 2017

Their wordsThese memories are not integrated with other positive experiences and are limited in their ability to accommodate new information.

↗How Does EMDR Therapy Work?drarielleschwartz.com
by 27 Oct 2017

How EMDR works is still being discovered, and the proposed mechanisms are not mutually exclusive.

Arielle Schwartz by 27 Oct 2017 Clinical psychologist, EMDR consultant and yoga teacher in Boulder, Colorado the field of neuroscience is still new; therefore, the physiological foundations of traumatic memories and how EMDR Therapy works are still in the process of being discovered. How Does EMDR Therapy Work?drarielleschwartz.com · by 27 Oct 2017

Their wordsthe field of neuroscience is still new; therefore, the physiological foundations of traumatic memories and how EMDR Therapy works are still in the process of being discovered.

↗How Does EMDR Therapy Work?drarielleschwartz.com
by 27 Oct 2017

Neuroscience alone is a limited, over-simplified lens on human experience.

Arielle Schwartz by 27 Oct 2017 Clinical psychologist, EMDR consultant and yoga teacher in Boulder, Colorado Seeing any human experience through the lens of neuroscience is not only limited but also over-simplified. How Does EMDR Therapy Work?drarielleschwartz.com · by 27 Oct 2017

Their wordsSeeing any human experience through the lens of neuroscience is not only limited but also over-simplified.

↗How Does EMDR Therapy Work?drarielleschwartz.com
by 27 Oct 2017

With complex trauma, EMDR needs resource development and careful pacing so clients feel safe in the present.

Mental modelRegulate, then reflect

Arielle Schwartz by 12 May 2017 Clinical psychologist, EMDR consultant and yoga teacher in Boulder, Colorado Therapists must emphasize the importance of resource development and careful pacing of EMDR Therapy so that clients feel safe in the present moment. EMDR Therapy for Complex PTSDdrarielleschwartz.com · by 12 May 2017

Their wordsTherapists must emphasize the importance of resource development and careful pacing of EMDR Therapy so that clients feel safe in the present moment.

↗EMDR Therapy for Complex PTSDdrarielleschwartz.com
by 12 May 2017

Successful trauma treatment requires building tolerance for the emotions and body sensations that accompany the memories.

Mental modelRegulate, then reflect

Arielle Schwartz by 12 May 2017 Clinical psychologist, EMDR consultant and yoga teacher in Boulder, Colorado A successful treatment outcome requires that you build tolerance for the emotions and body sensations that accompany traumatic memories. EMDR Therapy for Complex PTSDdrarielleschwartz.com · by 12 May 2017

Their wordsA successful treatment outcome requires that you build tolerance for the emotions and body sensations that accompany traumatic memories.

↗EMDR Therapy for Complex PTSDdrarielleschwartz.com
by 12 May 2017

EMDR works best inside a broader therapeutic relationship, not as a standalone protocol.

Annie Wright 7 Apr 2026 Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and executive coach EMDR often accelerates the processing of specific memories inside a broader therapeutic relationship. I rarely run it as a standalone protocol without that container. EMDR vs Talk Therapyanniewright.com · 7 Apr 2026

Their wordsEMDR often accelerates the processing of specific memories inside a broader therapeutic relationship. I rarely run it as a standalone protocol without that container.

↗EMDR vs Talk Therapyanniewright.com
7 Apr 2026

EMDR targets specific memories well but is not built for identity work or building a life narrative.

Annie Wright 7 Apr 2026 Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and executive coach EMDR targets specific memories well. It’s not designed to be the primary vehicle for identity work or the slower work of building a coherent life narrative. EMDR vs Talk Therapyanniewright.com · 7 Apr 2026

Their wordsEMDR targets specific memories well. It’s not designed to be the primary vehicle for identity work or the slower work of building a coherent life narrative.

↗EMDR vs Talk Therapyanniewright.com
7 Apr 2026

Talk therapy alone often cannot shift the felt, physiological charge of a stuck memory.

Mental modelWhat counts as evidence

Annie Wright 7 Apr 2026 Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and executive coach Talk therapy alone often struggles to shift the felt, physiological charge of a stuck memory, even once the story is fully understood. EMDR vs Talk Therapyanniewright.com · 7 Apr 2026

Their wordsTalk therapy alone often struggles to shift the felt, physiological charge of a stuck memory, even once the story is fully understood.

↗EMDR vs Talk Therapyanniewright.com
7 Apr 2026

Treating talk therapy as the outdated modality and bilateral approaches as the real medicine is inaccurate.

Annie Wright 7 Apr 2026 Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and executive coach That framing isn’t accurate, and it’s not what fifteen years in this field has taught me. EMDR vs Talk Therapyanniewright.com · 7 Apr 2026

Their wordsThat framing isn’t accurate, and it’s not what fifteen years in this field has taught me.

↗EMDR vs Talk Therapyanniewright.com
7 Apr 2026

Eye movement reprocessing went from alternative to establishment, and moving your eyes while talking about a trauma does seem to help you process it.

Scott Alexander 12 Nov 2019 Essayist; writes Astral Codex Ten Eye movement directed reprocessing (alternative when the book was written, now basically establishment) where you move your eyes back and forth while talking about your trauma, and this seems to somehow help you process it better. Book Review: The Body Keeps The Scoreslatestarcodex.com · 12 Nov 2019

Their wordsEye movement directed reprocessing (alternative when the book was written, now basically establishment) where you move your eyes back and forth while talking about your trauma, and this seems to somehow help you process it better.

↗Book Review: The Body Keeps The Scoreslatestarcodex.com
12 Nov 2019

If negative emotion comes from underweighting sensory evidence, that explains EMDR: it forces high-precision attention onto something the mind usually represses.

Scott Alexander 13 Feb 2021 Essayist; writes Astral Codex Ten First, it justifies various psychotherapies - EMDR and coherence therapy seem to come out especially well here - that focus on trying to get the brain to pay unusually precise attention, under unusually safe conditions, to something it usually represses. The Precision Of Sensory Evidenceastralcodexten.com · 13 Feb 2021

Their wordsFirst, it justifies various psychotherapies - EMDR and coherence therapy seem to come out especially well here - that focus on trying to get the brain to pay unusually precise attention, under unusually safe conditions, to something it usually represses.

↗The Precision Of Sensory Evidenceastralcodexten.com
13 Feb 2021

Somebody with trauma should try a trauma-focused therapy such as EMDR before treating their nightmares directly.

Scott Alexander 16 Jun 2022 Essayist; writes Astral Codex Ten I would recommend that anyone who thinks they're suffering from trauma (eg PTSD) try a trauma-focused therapy like EMDR before trying to address nightmares directly, unless the nightmares are overwhelmingly worse than all their other trauma symptoms. Peer Review: Nightmaresastralcodexten.com · 16 Jun 2022

Their wordsI would recommend that anyone who thinks they're suffering from trauma (eg PTSD) try a trauma-focused therapy like EMDR before trying to address nightmares directly, unless the nightmares are overwhelmingly worse than all their other trauma symptoms.

↗Peer Review: Nightmaresastralcodexten.com
16 Jun 2022

EMDR

Traumatic memories are poorly integrated and cannot take in new information.

How EMDR works is still being discovered, and the proposed mechanisms are not mutually exclusive.

Neuroscience alone is a limited, over-simplified lens on human experience.

With complex trauma, EMDR needs resource development and careful pacing so clients feel safe in the present.

Successful trauma treatment requires building tolerance for the emotions and body sensations that accompany the memories.

EMDR works best inside a broader therapeutic relationship, not as a standalone protocol.

EMDR targets specific memories well but is not built for identity work or building a life narrative.

Talk therapy alone often cannot shift the felt, physiological charge of a stuck memory.

Treating talk therapy as the outdated modality and bilateral approaches as the real medicine is inaccurate.

Eye movement reprocessing went from alternative to establishment, and moving your eyes while talking about a trauma does seem to help you process it.

If negative emotion comes from underweighting sensory evidence, that explains EMDR: it forces high-precision attention onto something the mind usually represses.

Somebody with trauma should try a trauma-focused therapy such as EMDR before treating their nightmares directly.

Why it works is still being worked out: stuck memories, working memory, and the limits of a neural story

Traumatic memories are poorly integrated and cannot take in new information.

How EMDR works is still being discovered, and the proposed mechanisms are not mutually exclusive.

Neuroscience alone is a limited, over-simplified lens on human experience.

If negative emotion comes from underweighting sensory evidence, that explains EMDR: it forces high-precision attention onto something the mind usually represses.

Eye movement reprocessing went from alternative to establishment, and moving your eyes while talking about a trauma does seem to help you process it.

It does a specific job well, best inside a wider relationship, and talk therapy alone often misses the felt charge

EMDR works best inside a broader therapeutic relationship, not as a standalone protocol.

EMDR targets specific memories well but is not built for identity work or building a life narrative.

Talk therapy alone often cannot shift the felt, physiological charge of a stuck memory.

Treating talk therapy as the outdated modality and bilateral approaches as the real medicine is inaccurate.

Somebody with trauma should try a trauma-focused therapy such as EMDR before treating their nightmares directly.

With early trauma the work must be slow: resources first, tolerance built, safety in the present

With complex trauma, EMDR needs resource development and careful pacing so clients feel safe in the present.

Successful trauma treatment requires building tolerance for the emotions and body sensations that accompany the memories.