Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy can be highly effective in relieving distress and negative beliefs related to a traumatic experience. There are eight phases involved in standard EMDR therapy—not all of which occur during a single session, but typically over a period of sessions. How fast or slow one moves through the eight phases depends on several factors including how recently the trauma occurred, pre-trauma functioning, and one’s unique strengths and skills in tolerating distressing emotions, to name a few.