EMDR can sound bizarre, especially to a client whom has never had counseling before or has only experienced talk therapy. A critical part of EMDR preparation is orientation, and one of the biggest hang-ups therapists have is how to explain what EMDR is and how it is believed to work. Of course, there is no cut-and-dry answer on how to do this, because so many variables must be considered: the therapist’s understanding of EMDR, which of the four faces of EMDR the therapist predominantly practices, the client’s learning style and cognitive ability, the overall treatment goals, and the client’s stage of change. 

Whenever or however you were trained in EMDR, you were likely given some verbatim statement to read to the client about the approach; from my experience, this usually goes over the client’s head. Often, you can give a client a pamphlet about EMDR or recommend a website (which does have some value in showcasing the legitimacy of the therapy), but this can come across as esoteric and theoretical. Here are some tips based on my clinical practice that seem to resonate with most clients. Of course, you may need to adjust your language depending on variables such as the client’s cognitive/educational abilities and stage of change.

·         Explain the story of how Shapiro created EMDR—most people can connect with a story.

·         Get into some basics of the triune brain. Explain that sometimes the part of our brain that is rational (the pre-frontal cortex) goes offline when we are triggered by traumatic experiences and that there is a good reason for this: The emotionally driven part of our brain (the limbic brain) and/or the survival instincts (the reptilian brain) take over. Explain that the back-and-forth bilateral stimulation of EMDR helps the various parts of the brain talk to each other.

·         If a client has had talk therapy in the past and it hasn’t helped, some of these triune brain basics can be especially helpful, because you can explain that whereas talk therapy is designed to activate only the rational part of the brain, many traumatic memories are locked inside the other two parts of the brain that can’t be accessed easily through just talking. Bilateral stimulation can help access those memories.

·         Let a client know that the bilateral stimulation itself won’t produce effects; rather, we need to bring up material (either positive or negative) together while doing bilateral stimulation that will point the brain in the direction it needs to go. I often compare bilateral stimulation with a gas pedal on a car. When we do the initial preparation activities, such as safe place or light stream, we use slow bilateral stimulation, which is like taking a nice slow drive in the car to soak in the scenery. However, when we get into the disturbing material, we use fast bilateral stimulation to drive away from the bad memories as quickly as possible.

(c) Jamie Marich, 2011