Online EMDR Sessions: What to Expect

Before your first session: set up your space

Privacy. A room with a door you can close, where you won’t be overheard. Some people use a parked car when home isn’t private, just not while driving.
Screen. A laptop or tablet makes on-screen eye-movement cues easier to follow than a phone.
Headphones. Useful for privacy and if your clinician uses alternating tones.
Comfort. Water, tissues, and something grounding nearby, a blanket, a textured object, a pet.
Location. Be physically in Florida for every session; therapy licensing is state-based.

The arc of treatment

Sessions 1-2: history and goals

You talk through what brought you in, your history and what you’d like to be different. Nothing is “processed” yet. Achieve Growth Therapy’s EMDR page describes the first session as covering history, goals and strengths, plus resourcing skills such as grounding and calming imagery.

Preparation: building your toolkit

You practise ways to settle yourself, a calm-place exercise, breathing, grounding through your senses. This phase can be brief or take longer, especially after repeated or childhood trauma. Preparation helps you and your clinician decide when to start processing.

Processing: working with a target memory

You pick a memory and notice its image, the belief attached to it, the feeling and where it sits in your body. Then come short sets of bilateral stimulation, about 30 seconds each, according to the VA, with a quick check-in after each. By video this might mean following a moving dot on screen, listening to alternating tones, or tapping your own shoulders or knees.

Closing every session

Sessions end with time to settle, even if a memory isn’t finished. You shouldn’t be sent back into your day in the middle of something raw.

Re-evaluation and moving on

Each new session starts by checking what changed since last time. Over weeks, targets that once felt overwhelming often become memories you can think about without the same reaction, though progress isn’t always linear.

Between sessions

EMDR doesn’t assign homework, but processing can continue after a session: vivid dreams, new memories surfacing or feeling tired are common. Use the grounding skills you practised, keep a brief note of anything you want to mention next time, and tell your clinician if something feels too much.

Common questions

Does EMDR work as well online as in person?

Achieve Growth Therapy’s EMDR page states that EMDR adapts well to secure telehealth and that the practice makes sure clients are comfortable with the setup before beginning. Research on online EMDR is newer than research on in-person EMDR, so it’s reasonable to ask how the clinician adapts the method.

How long is each session?

The practice describes standard sessions of about 50 minutes, usually weekly at the start. The VA describes EMDR sessions of 50 to 90 minutes.

What if I get overwhelmed on a video call?

You can pause at any time. Clinicians build grounding skills before processing and keep checking in. Agree on a plan for a dropped connection, such as a phone number to call back, at the start.

Can I do sessions while travelling outside Florida?

Usually not, because licensing is state-based. The Florida Department of Health telehealth FAQs (opens in a new tab) explain the general rules; ask the practice about your specific plans.

Does Achieve Growth Therapy see teenagers or children?

Yes. Artie works with all ages: children, teens and adults. Ask during the consultation whether video sessions are a good fit for a younger client.

What does EMDR cost?

Self-pay is $150 per hour. Artie also accepts several major insurance plans; confirm your coverage with the practice before you start. Details are on the fees and coverage page.

Does this site store anything I enter?

There’s nothing to enter. This site has no forms or tracking; see the privacy page.

See if online EMDR is the right next step

Achieve Growth Therapy offers a free 15-minute consultation. Use the practice's own contact page to pick a time or send a short note. leave out sensitive details until you're talking with the clinician.

Book a free consult with Achieve

What online EMDR sessions are like