How long does EMDR take to work?
Written and clinically reviewed by Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC
Psychotherapist · EMDR Certified · Certified Hypnotherapist · Author of Anxiety Annihilated · Practicing since 1997
It depends on the person. For a single traumatic incident, a course of EMDR often runs somewhere around six to twelve sessions including preparation; some clients notice shifts earlier, others need longer. Complex or childhood trauma involves multiple targets and usually means months of paced work. These are estimates, not schedules. Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC has used EMDR with trauma clients in Newport Beach since 1997 and gives each client an estimate after the assessment phase rather than an open-ended commitment.
Why the answer depends on the target, not the diagnosis
EMDR works memory by memory. One discrete event — a crash, an assault, a medical emergency — is one cluster of targets, and it moves comparatively quickly. Childhood trauma is rarely one event; it is a pattern of many, plus the beliefs that formed around them. More targets means more sessions.
The other variable is your nervous system's starting point. Someone who arrives with reliable ways to settle can begin reprocessing sooner. Someone in a state of chronic overwhelm needs stabilization first, and skipping that stage is the most common reason EMDR stalls.
Rough guides, not timetables
The figures below reflect what a course of work can look like. They are starting points for planning, and your own course may be shorter or considerably longer depending on the targets, your history, and what else is going on.
- Single-incident trauma: often in the region of 6–12 sessions including preparation
- Specific phobia with a clear origin memory: sometimes fewer, frequently combined with hypnotherapy
- Panic or anxiety anchored to identifiable events: commonly longer than single-incident work
- Complex or childhood trauma: months of deliberately paced work, sometimes longer
- Grief and traumatic loss: highly individual; no fixed timeline
What progress looks like
Change often shows up outside the room first: sleeping through, reacting less to a trigger, noticing that a memory has lost its physical charge. In session, distress ratings for a target drop across reprocessing, and the aim is a target that can be recalled without the body responding as though it is happening now.
Progress is not always linear. Some sessions open new material, and there can be a few unsettled days afterwards. That is tracked and used to choose the next target, and each session is closed down so you leave regulated.
How to avoid wasting sessions
- Consistency beats intensity — weekly sessions move faster than sporadic ones.
- Use the between-session tools; they are what makes reprocessing tolerable.
- Be honest about how activated you feel; pacing can be adjusted.
- Treat co-occurring issues — substance use, untreated panic, sleep deprivation — alongside, not after.
Frequently asked questions
About the author
Arolyn Burns, LMFT, LPCC is a Newport Beach psychotherapist specializing in anxiety, phobias, trauma and chronic pain. She provides EMDR therapy and clinical hypnotherapy and has been practicing since 1997. CA LMFT #MFC40173, LPCC #LPC54. Office: 2333 E Coast Highway, Suite C, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625. Phone (833) 426-0303.