When Should You Avoid EMDR?

When Should You Avoid EMDR? 

Short Answer: Most people do not need to avoid EMDR. With self-guided EMDR, the more useful question is whether you feel ready and able to focus on a session right now. It makes sense to wait if you are in an immediate mental health crisis, are under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs, are having significant difficulty staying present, or simply do not feel ready to work with a distressing memory. In many cases, waiting means choosing a better time—not that EMDR is unsuitable for you.

Key Takeaways

• Most people do not need to avoid EMDR.
• You do not have to feel completely calm before starting a session.
• It makes sense to wait if you are in an immediate crisis or are unable to focus clearly.
• If you are having difficulty staying present, you can pause and return when you feel more settled.
• Do not start a session while intoxicated or significantly impaired by alcohol or recreational drugs.
• Simply not feeling ready today is a perfectly reasonable reason to wait.

When Does It Make Sense to Wait Before Doing EMDR?  

For most people, there is no long list of circumstances that automatically rules out EMDR.

A better way to think about it is whether this is a good time for you to do a session.

EMDR asks you to briefly focus on a memory, thought, feeling, or body sensation while using bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, sounds, or tapping. You need enough attention to follow the process and notice what comes up.

You do not have to be perfectly relaxed or completely free of emotion. Feeling nervous, sad, stressed, or emotional does not automatically mean you need to avoid EMDR.

Sometimes, however, waiting until another time simply makes more sense.

Wait During an Immediate Mental Health Crisis  

If you are currently experiencing an immediate mental health crisis and are having difficulty maintaining your own safety, this is not the time to begin a self-guided EMDR session.

The priority at that moment is dealing with the immediate situation rather than trying to work on a distressing memory by yourself.

This is very different from simply feeling anxious, sad, stressed, or emotional. Those are common human experiences and do not automatically prevent you from using EMDR.

Once the immediate crisis has passed and you feel able to focus on a structured exercise again, you can reconsider whether you want to continue.

Wait If You Are Under the Influence of Alcohol or Recreational Drugs  

EMDR requires enough attention to follow a structured process and notice what you are experiencing.

If alcohol or recreational drugs are significantly affecting your attention, judgment, or awareness, it makes sense to wait until you can focus normally again.

This does not mean that someone who has struggled with alcohol or drug use cannot use EMDR. EMDR is also used with people working through addiction and related concerns.

The point is much simpler: if you are intoxicated or significantly impaired right now, wait until another time to do your session.

What If You're Having Difficulty Staying Present?  

Occasionally, someone may notice that they are having trouble staying focused on the present moment. They may feel unusually disconnected, very spaced out, or have difficulty following what is happening during the exercise.

If that happens, you do not need to force yourself to continue.

You can stop the bilateral stimulation, pause the session, and give yourself time to feel settled again.

Ordinary distraction or occasionally feeling a little spaced out does not mean you cannot use EMDR. Most experiences like this are mild and manageable.

The practical question is simply whether you feel present enough to comfortably follow the session. If you do not, you can come back to it another time.

You Can Wait If You Don't Feel Ready  

There is another very ordinary reason to postpone an EMDR session:

You just don't feel ready today.

You might start thinking about a particular memory and realize that you would rather not work on it right now.

That's okay.

With self-guided EMDR, you decide what you want to work on and when you want to work on it. You do not have to choose the most difficult experience in your life, and you do not need to push yourself simply because you started a session.

You can pause.

You can stop.

You can choose something different to work on.

Or you can come back another day.

Waiting does not mean you have failed at EMDR or that EMDR is not right for you. It simply means you have decided that another time would be better.

What If You Become Uncomfortable During EMDR?  

Some discomfort can occur when you focus on an upsetting memory. That does not automatically mean anything is wrong.

If an EMDR session starts to feel like more than you want to work with at that moment, you can stop the bilateral stimulation and take a break. 

You do not need to push through an exercise just because you started it.

You can also choose a different memory or concern that feels more manageable.

One of the advantages of self-guided EMDR is that you remain in control of the pace.

What If You Have a Medical Condition?  

Having a medical condition does not automatically mean you need to avoid EMDR.

EMDR involves sitting in front of a screen, focusing on the exercise, and following bilateral stimulation. It is not a physically strenuous activity. 

There is generally no reason to turn this question into a long list of medical conditions or warnings.

If your individual circumstances affect your ability to comfortably use a computer, follow the visual stimulation, or participate in a particular exercise, you can adjust how you use the program where appropriate.

Otherwise, simply having a medical condition is not automatically a reason to avoid EMDR.

When Is It Usually Fine to Continue? 

You generally do not need to avoid EMDR just because:

• You feel a little nervous about starting.
• Thinking about the memory brings up some emotion.
• You felt mildly tired after a previous session.
• You cried during a previous session.
• You yawn during a session.
• You did not notice much happening during your last session.
• You occasionally need to pause.
• You prefer shorter sessions.
• You want more time between sessions.
   

These experiences do not automatically mean that EMDR is unsuitable for you.
People respond differently to EMDR. Some people notice emotional or physical reactions, while others notice very little during or after a session.

There is no single reaction you need to have for a session to be meaningful.

Self-Guided EMDR Gives You Control Over the Pace 

One of the benefits of self-guided EMDR is flexibility.

With Virtual EMDR, you decide when to have a session and how quickly you move through the process.

If today doesn't feel like a good day, you can wait.

If you start and decide you want to stop, you can stop.

If you would rather work on something less difficult, you can choose a different target.

If you want more time before your next session, you can take it.

And if you are also working with a therapist, you may choose to discuss your EMDR work with them as part of the support you already receive.

The goal is not to complete as many sessions as possible. It is to find a pace that works for you.

Conclusion

For most people, there isn't a long list of reasons to avoid EMDR.

Sometimes it simply makes sense to wait—for example, if you are in an immediate mental health crisis, are intoxicated, are having difficulty staying present enough to follow the session, or just don't feel ready that day.

Ordinary nervousness, emotion, tiredness, crying, yawning, or wanting to take a break are not automatically reasons to avoid EMDR.