How Long Does EMDR Therapy Take? The Honest Answer Is: It Depends

One of the most common questions I’m asked about EMDR therapy is: how long will it take? 

It’s a completely understandable question. When you're seeking therapy, particularly if you're in distress, you want some sense of what's ahead. You may be hoping for a clear roadmap, or at least a signpost telling you that you're on the right path. The short answer is that EMDR can work surprisingly quickly for some people. But the longer, more accurate answer is: it depends.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is often described as a faster-acting therapy, and for certain types of trauma, this reputation is well-earned. If someone is experiencing symptoms after a single incident, like a car accident, a difficult medical procedure, a mugging, or even a specific phobia such as a fear of flying, then EMDR can often bring substantial relief in just a handful of sessions. This is because single-event traumas tend to be more contained. They usually haven’t become tangled up with a person’s identity or sense of self-worth in the same way that more chronic or relational traumas might have.

So in cases like these, EMDR can help the brain do what it was always meant to do: process the experience and file it away as something that happened, rather than something that continues to be lived over and over again. It’s not unusual for clients to notice a shift after just a few sessions, or sometimes even within one session of reprocessing, once the preparation and resourcing work is done.

But what about more complex trauma?

This is where things get more nuanced. Many people seeking EMDR aren’t just dealing with a one-off incident. They’re carrying a history. That might include repeated childhood abuse, neglect, ongoing emotional invalidation, bullying over many years, or any situation where the threat was prolonged or came from people who were supposed to be safe. These kinds of experiences are often called developmental, complex, or attachment-based trauma, and they tend to be deeply woven into a person’s emotional and relational life.

What's more, when someone with this kind of history starts therapy, it's not usually just because of what has happened, but because of the impact of their past on everyday life. We're now not only dealing with what has shaped them, but also with how this is affecting the person today. They may have developed an eating disorder, chronic low self-esteem, maladaptive daydreaming, or they may habitually struggle with procrastination. 

In these cases, EMDR can still be incredibly effective, but, as you can imagine, it’s not usually fast.

When the trauma has shaped your sense of self, that is your worth, your identity, your relationships, even your body’s stress response, it’s not just a matter of reprocessing a single memory. We have to work more slowly and strategically. The early stages of EMDR, i.e. the history taking, preparation, and resourcing that we do before we actually delve into the traumatic memories, often take longer, because the work involves stabilising the nervous system, learning how to tolerate distress without becoming flooded, and creating internal ‘safe places’ to return to if things feel too intense.

I often remind clients that just because EMDR is structured doesn’t mean it’s rigid. The model is designed to work with your brain, not force it to do something it’s not ready for. And in more complex cases, we may need to revisit earlier phases several times. That’s not a setback, it’s part of the process.

To give a rough sense of timeframes (and I do mean rough, because everyone is different):

•  A simple phobia or single-event trauma might be processed in 6–10 sessions, sometimes even fewer.
•  Complex trauma or multiple trauma events could take months, or longer, depending on the scope, the pace that feels manageable, and the presence of other factors such as dissociation, anxiety, or depression.

The truth is, therapy isn’t a linear journey. It’s not always a case of session one, two, three… healed. Sometimes we move forward, pause, consolidate, revisit. Sometimes we need to build safety and trust before we can even begin to touch the trauma. And sometimes, clients uncover memories they didn’t even realise were still affecting them. That’s all part of it.

One of the most important things to understand about EMDR (and trauma work more broadly) is that going slowly can actually be the fastest way through. Rushing ahead without enough support or grounding can make things worse. It can activate the nervous system in a way that feels unsafe or destabilising. But when we respect your pace, when we focus on safety and stability first, we’re creating the conditions for real, lasting change.

So, if you’ve heard stories about EMDR being quick and transformative, and then you find yourself weeks into therapy wondering why it's taking longer for you, please know: you’re not doing it wrong. You’re doing it right. You’re honouring your brain’s need to feel safe before it can let go. You’re allowing healing to unfold at the speed of trust.

If you’re considering EMDR and wondering what the process might look like for you, the best starting point is a proper assessment. This gives us a chance to understand your history, clarify what you want to work on, and map out a plan that makes sense for your goals and your nervous system. No two journeys are the same, and they shouldn’t be.

Therapy isn’t a race. It’s a process of reclaiming your life, one step at a time.