EMDR

A typical EMDR therapy session is 60-90 minutes long. On average, people who receive EMDR therapy for addiction take part in six to 12 sessions over a period of about six weeks – though some may need additional treatment while others may achieve their goals in five sessions or fewer.

The EMDR process includes eight distinct phases:

1. History & Planning: This initial phase is a time for the client to describe their history of trauma to the therapist and identify what they hope to achieve by participating in EMDR therapy. The client and therapist may then begin to work together to select specific memories to address during later phases.
2. Preparation: The primary goal of this phase is for the therapist to explain how EMDR therapy works. This may include having the client practice the eye movements or other bilateral stimulation activities that are central to the process. 
3. Assessment: During the third phase, the client will focus on one specific memory. While doing so, the client will note any thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations that they develop in response to the memory. 
4. Desensitization: This is the “eye movement” phase of EMDR. While continuing to focus on the traumatic memory, the client will rapidly move their eyes from side to side or follow some other type of bilateral stimulation as directed by the EMDR therapist. They may do this multiple times until they have eliminated the distressing physical or emotional responses that they noted in the previous phase.
5. Installation: Having eliminated the negative response during the desensitization phase, the client will now install a more positive, self-affirming feeling in its place. The objective of this phase is when the traumatic memory arises again in the future, the healthier response will occur automatically instead of the negative feelings. 
6. Body Scan: This is an assessment phase. The client will focus once again on the traumatic memory and the positive response they developed during the installation phase. While doing this, they will determine if recalling the memory causes them to experience muscle tension or other uncomfortable physical symptoms.   
7. Closure: Clients may need to complete multiple EMDR sessions to eliminate their negative responses to specific traumatic memories. The closure phase acknowledges this reality and employs various self-control methods to bring the client back to a balanced, neutral state. The goal of this phase is to ensure that the client is in a healthy state of mind when they leave the session. 
8. Reevaluation: With the exception of the first session (and perhaps the second one), most EMDR sessions will begin at Phase 8. During this phase, the client and the therapist will work together to review the progress they made during the previous session and identify the memory that they will focus on during the new session.

Patients who receive EMDR for addiction will not typically complete all eight phases in a single session. For example, their first EMDR session may include Phase 1 and possibly Phase 2. Then, during their second or third session, they may complete Phases 3-7. 

Eventually, each session will start with Phase 8, after which the client and therapist will go through Phases 3-7 again. Depending on their progress during the previous session, they may either continue with the same memory or focus on a different memory.