What actually happens in an EMDR session?

You hold a specific memory or thought in mind while following a repeated left-right signal, usually eye movements, taps or tones. The clinician pauses often to check what has shifted. Most of the session is ordinary conversation; the reprocessing itself comes in short sets.

Do I have to talk about the trauma in detail?

No. EMDR works on the memory as you hold it internally, so you can say very little out loud and still reprocess it. That is one reason people who dread retelling their history often tolerate EMDR well.

How many sessions does EMDR take?

Single-event trauma often moves in a handful of reprocessing sessions once preparation is done. Trauma that repeated over years takes longer, because there is more to work through and more steadiness to build first. Your clinician will give you a realistic picture early on.

Is EMDR evidence-based?

Yes. EMDR is recommended for PTSD by major clinical guidelines and has been compared directly against other trauma-focused therapies in randomized trials and meta-analyses. A few of those reviews are linked below.

Can EMDR be done over video?

Yes. Remote EMDR uses the same bilateral stimulation delivered through your screen and headphones. Our clinicians work this way with clients across New York State.

Is EMDR ever the wrong place to start?

Sometimes. If your nervous system is already overwhelmed, reprocessing can flood it, so we build regulation first, often with clinical hypnosis or somatic work. This is central to how our clinicians work at Soho Integrative Collective.

Modality

EMDR Therapy

Reprocessing what the nervous system has held

For trauma, complex PTSD, anxiety, shame, and attachment patterns - including high-functioning people whose symptoms hide in plain sight.

What EMDR Is

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess experiences that stayed stuck - so a memory becomes something that happened, rather than something that is still happening.

EMDR for Trauma

EMDR is one of the most effective approaches for trauma. It works at the level where trauma is stored, not only the story you or others close to you have created about it.

EMDR for Attachment and Relationship Patterns

The templates that shape how we connect form early. EMDR can help loosen the attachment patterns that keep reappearing across relationships.

How We Use EMDR at Soho Integrative Collective

We rarely use EMDR in isolation. We sequence it with regulation and, where helpful, clinical hypnosis - knowing when the nervous system needs steadiness before reprocessing can begin.

Learn how we incorporate EMDR Therapy with other modalities

A clinician guides a remote EMDR session from the consulting room, bilateral-stimulation software open on her laptop

The consulting room with an EMDR light bar on its tripod beside the sofa

In Session

EMDR, in the room and remotely

Our clinicians work with dedicated remote-EMDR technology, so bilateral stimulation works the same whether you are on Prince Street or on a secure video session anywhere in New York State.

All of our clinicians offer EMDR therapy

Dr. Laura FaiwiszewskiEMDR · Hypnosis · Trauma Reprocessing

Dr. Leora CitrinEMDR · Hypnosis · Insight-Oriented Therapy

Dr. Ami ZalaEMDR · Hypnosis · Anxiety & Shame

Dr. Micah ZylstraEMDR · Hypnosis · Complex PTSD

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What actually happens in an EMDR session?: You hold a specific memory or thought in mind while following a repeated left-right signal, usually eye movements, taps or tones. The clinician pauses often to check what has shifted. Most of the session is ordinary conversation; the reprocessing itself comes in short sets.
Do I have to talk about the trauma in detail?: No. EMDR works on the memory as you hold it internally, so you can say very little out loud and still reprocess it. That is one reason people who dread retelling their history often tolerate EMDR well.
How many sessions does EMDR take?: Single-event trauma often moves in a handful of reprocessing sessions once preparation is done. Trauma that repeated over years takes longer, because there is more to work through and more steadiness to build first. Your clinician will give you a realistic picture early on.
Is EMDR evidence-based?: Yes. EMDR is recommended for PTSD by major clinical guidelines and has been compared directly against other trauma-focused therapies in randomized trials and meta-analyses. A few of those reviews are linked below.
Can EMDR be done over video?: Yes. Remote EMDR uses the same bilateral stimulation delivered through your screen and headphones. Our clinicians work this way with clients across New York State.
Is EMDR ever the wrong place to start?: Sometimes. If your nervous system is already overwhelmed, reprocessing can flood it, so we build regulation first, often with clinical hypnosis or somatic work. This is central to how our clinicians work at Soho Integrative Collective.

Selected Research

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