Reaching the finish line—understanding EMDR's completion phase.
The completion phase is the final step in EMDR therapy. After history taking and reprocessing, this phase brings the healing process full circle. Here, new, healthier beliefs are solidified, and the traumatic memory loses its emotional charge.
What Happens in the Completion Phase of EMDR?
The goal of this phase is to ensure that the traumatic memory no longer triggers negative emotions or physical reactions. Instead, the client adopts more adaptive, positive beliefs about themselves and the world. Here's how the completion phase works:
Assessment of Progress: The therapist checks how well the traumatic memory has been reprocessed. If necessary, they may revisit earlier phases, but typically by this point, the emotional intensity of the memory has drastically reduced.
Integration of Positive Beliefs: In this phase, the therapist helps the client reinforce new, positive beliefs. For example, a belief like "I am safe now" might replace the old negative belief "I am in danger."
Closure and Resourcing: The therapist ensures that the client has tools, or "resources," they can use outside therapy to maintain their progress. This could involve visualization techniques, mindfulness practices, or other coping strategies.
Why the Completion Phase Matters
This phase is where everything learned in therapy is consolidated. It’s also an opportunity for the client to experience their resilience and personal growth. The completion phase ensures that:
Long-lasting Healing: The traumatic memory no longer holds power over the client. They can recall it without distress or negative reactions.
Empowerment: By integrating new, positive beliefs, clients feel empowered in their daily lives. They begin to see themselves through a new, healthier lens.
Confidence in Future Challenges: Clients often leave this phase with confidence that they can face future challenges using the techniques learned in therapy.
How the Completion Phase Helps Conditions
PTSD: The memory of the trauma no longer triggers symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, or intense fear.
Anxiety: Clients gain a new sense of calm, understanding that the trauma is in the past and no longer impacts their present.
Depression: Negative self-beliefs, often reinforced by past trauma, are replaced with healthier, more balanced perspectives.
What to Expect in the Final Sessions
During the last few sessions of EMDR, clients can expect to:
Revisit Past Sessions: The therapist will help review what’s been processed and make sure everything is “cleared out.”
Final Check: The therapist may guide the client through imagining future scenarios, ensuring no residual distress remains.
Celebrate Progress: It’s also a time to reflect on the progress made, celebrating the shifts in beliefs and the newfound emotional freedom.
Key Benefits of the Completion Phase
Freedom from Trauma: After the completion phase, traumatic memories are no longer a burden. Clients feel liberated from their past.
Increased Resilience: Clients leave therapy with more than just healed memories. They gain coping skills and emotional resilience that will help in future challenges.
Is EMDR Right for You?
If you've been living with the weight of trauma, anxiety, or depression, EMDR therapy could help bring you relief. The completion phase solidifies the work done in therapy, ensuring that the changes you make last.
At Burlington Clinic, we offer both online and in-clinic EMDR sessions. Our expert therapists are here to guide you every step of the way.