EMDR con EUGE

What is EMDR · The method

EMDR therapy, explained

María Eugenia Buceta Mompó, psychologist

EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a complete psychotherapeutic model, not a standalone technique. Bilateral stimulation is one part of the work, not the starting point: first comes your history, understanding what brings you here, and building resources — reprocessing begins after that.

It is a process, not a series of short, self-contained sessions. How long it takes depends on the person and on what they bring.

It is used to process memories that still hurt, and also in the opposite direction: to install resources, strengthen achievements and build skills. That is why it is widely used with high-performance athletes.

It is effective in treating post-traumatic stress, anxiety, phobias and other emotional difficulties, and it is recommended by the World Health Organization and by the UK's NICE guidelines.

How does EMDR therapy work?

EMDR focuses on the memories that disturb a person's life today.

The work is organised in eight phases. The first ones are given over to clinical history, preparation and building resources; bilateral stimulation comes later, once there is a base to sustain it. Emotional stability is looked after before, during and after.

The model that explains why it works is adaptive information processing: when a memory is filed badly, it keeps producing symptoms in the present, and reprocessing reorganises it in a healthier way.

During reprocessing the therapist intervenes as little as possible. It is your own system that reorders the information — I accompany the process, I don't direct it.

A special focus: traumatic events

For EMDR therapy, a trauma is an experience that creates a strong emotional impact and can become trapped in the brain.

Trauma can cause emotional distress and interfere with daily functioning: the brain stops processing information normally, and sensations and emotions can’t be integrated with other experiences.

In other words, the person stays trapped in that painful or overwhelming event, affecting different areas of their life.

How long does treatment take?

There's no number. When something is promised in six sessions, EMDR is being treated as a technique rather than as what it is: a psychotherapeutic model. Every case is different, and we assess the length together as we go.

What is more fixed is the frequency: weekly, or fortnightly in some cases. Less than that isn't recommended, because the process needs continuity to be effective and safe.

Traumatic event vs. trauma

Not every hard event in life turns into a trauma.

A traumatic event is any situation that overwhelms us emotionally — an accident, a significant loss, an experience of violence, a natural disaster. These are events that create an intense impact on the person, but they don’t necessarily leave a lasting mark on their nervous system.

Trauma, on the other hand, happens when the brain can’t properly process a traumatic event. According to Francine Shapiro, the creator of EMDR, this occurs when the information gets "stuck" in the nervous system, keeping the experience from integrating in a healthy way. As a result, the person may keep reliving the distress through intrusive memories, nightmares or physical symptoms, even when the danger has passed.

The same traumatic event can affect each person differently. While some can process it and move on without serious consequences, others may develop a trauma if their capacity to cope is overwhelmed. Factors such as personal history, age, social support and repeated exposure to similar situations shape this response.

EMDR helps to "unlock" these trapped memories, allowing the brain to process and store them adaptively. That way, the person can remember what happened without it causing the same distress, recovering their well-being and their ability to face life with more resilience.

A butterfly with black and red wings resting on green leaves

If you’re looking for EMDR treatment or training, make sure to consult therapists accredited by EMDR Argentina or other official organizations. This specialization is only open to psychologists and psychiatrists.

The national and regional associations — EMDR Argentina, EMDR Iberoamérica, EMDR Europe, EMDR U.S.A. — members of the Global EMDR Alliance, are what guarantee the training of accredited professionals.

Frequently asked questions

Will I have to tell you everything that happened to me?

Not necessarily. We work with what you can and want to tell, at your own pace. EMDR doesn't need you to narrate the detail of what you lived through in order to work on it.

I've done therapy before and felt stuck. Is this different?

It's a different kind of therapy. It isn't my place to say EMDR is better or worse than the approach you did before — it's different.

And if you're in a process with another therapist, EMDR can work alongside it. In those cases I work as a team with whoever is accompanying you, and with your psychiatrist if you have one.

Does it help if nothing serious happened to me?

Yes. EMDR distinguishes trauma with a capital T — a single serious event, an accident, an experience of violence — from trauma with a lowercase t: situations that don't look serious on their own, but that leave a mark when sustained over time. Pressure that never eases, constant criticism, the sense that it's never enough.

Both are worked with.

Do you use specific protocols?

Yes. EMDR has protocols adapted to special populations such as Children and Adolescents, Couples, Complex Trauma and Dissociative Disorders, Eating Disorders, Addictive Behaviors, patients living with Pain, War Survivors, and more. It has been shown to be effective at every age.

What if I get distressed during a session?

It can happen, and it's to be expected. Reprocessing stirs emotional material: during or after a session there may be distress, more tiredness, vivid dreams or intense bodily sensations. These effects are usually temporary, though I can't tell you in advance how it will go in your case.

That's why the first phases of the work are preparation: before reprocessing anything we build resources, and those resources stay available during and after. If something stirs between sessions, I want to know — that is part of the process too.

Can I do EMDR if I'm on medication?

Yes. And if you're already under psychiatric treatment, so much the better: I can work jointly with your psychiatrist so that both approaches pull in the same direction.

All I ask is that you follow your doctor's instructions and tell me if anything changes in your medication.

Might you suggest I see a psychiatrist?

It can happen. If you're doing psychological treatment only and at some point I judge that adding a psychiatric consultation would help you, I'll raise it and we'll talk it through.

It isn't a requirement to start. It's part of working carefully, and it's covered in the informed consent we go over at the beginning.