Online EMDR TherapyEye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing
A structured, well-researched trauma therapy that helps your brain reprocess distressing memories so they lose their emotional charge, delivered online over secure video.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured psychotherapy that helps people recover from the symptoms and emotional distress left by disturbing life experiences. It was developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., in 1987.
Online EMDR therapy is the same treatment delivered over secure video, so you can do the work from home. At Reconnect, EMDR-trained clinicians guide you through the full eight-phase protocol.
EMDR is based on the idea that the mind can heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from an injury. A cut heals on its own unless something keeps irritating it. In the same way, the brain naturally moves toward health, but a disturbing event can leave a memory “stuck,” still carrying its original fear, images, and body sensations. EMDR aims to unblock that processing so healing can resume.
How EMDR Therapy Works: The 8 Phases
EMDR follows a structured, eight-phase protocol that guides you from assessment through reprocessing and integration. Online, the phases are exactly the same as in person; only the room changes.
Preparation comes before any memory work. You and your therapist build trust and practice self-regulation skills first, and every session ends by helping you return to a steady state. You do not have to describe a traumatic event in detail for EMDR to work.
- History & Treatment Planning — Thorough assessment of trauma history and identification of target memories for reprocessing.
- Preparation — Building trust, explaining the process, and teaching self-regulation techniques for emotional stability.
- Assessment — Activating the target memory by identifying the image, negative belief, emotions, and body sensations associated with it.
- Desensitization — Using bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones) while focusing on the disturbing memory until distress diminishes.
- Installation — Strengthening the positive belief you have identified to replace the negative one associated with the traumatic memory.
- Body Scan — Checking for any residual physical tension or discomfort related to the target memory and processing remaining sensations.
- Closure — Ensuring stability at the end of each session, returning you to a state of equilibrium using the self-regulation techniques learned in Phase 2.
- Reevaluation — At the start of subsequent sessions, assessing progress, ensuring treatment effects are maintained, and identifying any new material.
What Happens in an Online EMDR Session
In the reprocessing phases, you briefly hold a memory in mind while your therapist guides bilateral stimulation: left-right eye movements, alternating taps, or alternating tones. Short sets are followed by a pause to notice what comes up, and this repeats until the memory feels less distressing.
Over video, eye movements are guided on screen, tapping can be done by you (for example, alternating taps on your knees or shoulders), and tones play through your own headphones. Your therapist watches for signs of overwhelm and slows down or pauses whenever needed. Our guide to your first online EMDR therapy session walks through a first appointment step by step.
- Eye Movements — Following your therapist's hand or a moving point on screen to create bilateral visual stimulation.
- Tactile Tapping — Alternating taps on knees, hands, or shoulders for physical bilateral input.
- Auditory Tones — Alternating sounds through headphones, ideal for virtual EMDR sessions.
- Built-In Closure — Every session ends with grounding so you leave feeling steady.
Is EMDR Therapy Effective?
EMDR is one of the most extensively researched psychotherapy methods for trauma. It is recognized as an effective treatment for PTSD by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychiatric Association, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
EMDR is also used for anxiety, depression, and other difficulties rooted in distressing experiences, although the research for these uses is less extensive than for PTSD. Because it does not rely on detailed retelling or homework between sessions, some people find it easier to tolerate than other trauma therapies. How many sessions you need depends on your history: a single recent event usually needs fewer sessions than long-standing or complex trauma.
It can be a good fit if talk therapy has stalled, including for adults living with complex PTSD symptoms. Your clinician confirms readiness during assessment, and if you need more stabilization first, they help you build that foundation before any reprocessing.
- Recognized for PTSD — Recommended in WHO, VA, and American Psychiatric Association guidance on treating trauma.
- No Detailed Retelling — You hold the memory in mind briefly; you do not have to describe it at length.
- Measured Progress — You rate your distress from 0 to 10 during sessions, so you and your therapist can track change.
- Paced for Safety — Stabilization skills come first, and every session ends with closure.
Conditions Treated with EMDR
EMDR is used for a range of conditions rooted in traumatic or distressing experiences. Your clinician will talk with you about whether it fits your situation.
Why Choose Reconnect for Online EMDR Therapy
Reconnect’s clinicians are trained in EMDR and experienced in treating trauma over secure video. They include Nattan Hollander, who has more than 10 years of EMDR experience, Gozde Gokozan, Chris Meehan, Cibele Sousa, and Ellen Hair. Clinical care is overseen by founder Dr. Karol Darsa, Psy.D., who has advanced EMDR training.
EMDR is one part of the Reconnect Integrative Trauma Treatment Model (RITTM). Many clients combine it with Brainspotting and mindfulness-based therapy, in individual sessions or through our Virtual PHP, Virtual IOP, and Virtual Outpatient programs.
Many commercial insurance plans cover online EMDR as part of outpatient mental health care, but coverage depends on your plan. Verify your coverage in minutes before your first session.
- EMDR-Trained Clinicians — Clinicians with EMDR training and extensive trauma treatment experience.
- Virtual-Adapted Protocol — The full eight-phase EMDR protocol adapted for effective, secure telehealth delivery.
- Integrative Model — EMDR combined with Brainspotting, somatic therapy, and mindfulness for whole-person healing.
- Flexible Program Options — Access EMDR through our virtual PHP, IOP, or outpatient individual therapy.
Related Care at Reconnect
Brainspotting
Holds a fixed eye position to help process trauma held deep in the brain and body.
Learn MoreSensorimotor Psychotherapy
Body-based therapy that works with how trauma is held in posture, movement, and sensation.
Learn MoreSomatic Therapy
Online body-centered therapy that helps calm a nervous system shaped by trauma.
Learn MoreMindfulness-Based Therapy
Present-moment skills that support emotional regulation between sessions.
Learn MoreVirtual PHP
Our most structured virtual program, for those who need intensive daily support.
Learn MoreVirtual Outpatient
Individual virtual therapy that fits around work, school, and family.
Learn MoreOnline EMDR Therapy FAQs
Online EMDR uses the same eight phases as in-person care, and early research on EMDR delivered by video is encouraging. Many people also find it easier to process trauma from a space where they already feel safe. Your therapist will check that online care is right for you during your assessment.
Apps and videos that offer self-guided eye movements are not a substitute for EMDR therapy. Reprocessing trauma can bring up strong emotions, so EMDR should be done with a trained, licensed clinician who prepares you, paces the work, and helps you settle at the end of each session.
It varies. A single, recent distressing event may need only a handful of reprocessing sessions, while complex or long-standing trauma usually takes longer, including more time for preparation. Your therapist will discuss a realistic plan after your assessment.
After the preparation phase, you briefly focus on a target memory while following bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, taps, or tones, in short sets. Between sets you notice and share what comes up. Each session ends with grounding so you leave feeling steady.
PTSD and complex trauma, anxiety disorders, depression, and co-occurring disorders.
It can, especially when anxiety is linked to past distressing experiences. EMDR is best established for PTSD, and your clinician will talk with you about whether it is the right fit for your anxiety.
EMDR may need to wait, or be adapted, for people who are in crisis or currently unsafe, or who have severe dissociation or unstable substance use; in those cases stabilization comes first. People with certain eye conditions or a seizure history may use taps or tones instead of eye movements. A thorough assessment helps decide the right timing.
Some people feel tired or emotional, or notice vivid dreams or new memories, for a day or two after a session as the brain keeps processing. These effects are usually temporary, and your therapist will teach you grounding skills to use between sessions.
Many commercial insurance plans cover EMDR when it is provided by a licensed clinician as part of mental health treatment, but coverage depends on your plan. You can verify your benefits online before your first session.
EMDR moves attention back and forth with rhythmic eye movements, taps, or tones and follows an eight-phase protocol. Brainspotting, which grew out of EMDR, holds the gaze on one fixed eye position linked to body activation and is less structured. At Reconnect, your clinician may use either or both.
Dr. Karol Darsa,
Psy.D. · Last reviewed June 2026
Dr. Darsa is a licensed clinical psychologist with 28 years of clinical experience in trauma and mental health treatment. She is the founder of Reconnect Center and the creator of the Reconnect Integrative Trauma Treatment Model (RITTM) — the evidence-based framework that anchors every program and therapy at Reconnect Center. A certified Brainspotting therapist with advanced EMDR training and extensive Somatic Experiencing training, Dr. Darsa lectures on trauma treatment at USC, UCLA, and Cal Lutheran, and oversees clinical standards across all of Reconnect's virtual care.
Experience the Power of EMDR
EMDR is one of the most widely used and studied trauma therapies. Our EMDR-trained therapists are ready to guide your healing.
