Illustration of a human head profile with a brain, plant growing from shoulders, and a halo, on green background.

NuVue Counselling

EMDR 2.0 Therapy

A More Active Approach to Processing Distressing Memories

Even when you know a difficult experience is over, your mind and body may continue to respond as though it is still happening.

Certain memories, situations, sensations or relationship experiences may continue to trigger:

  • anxiety or panic

  • shame, guilt or self-blame

  • intrusive memories or images

  • emotional overwhelm

  • avoidance

  • numbness or shutdown

  • physical tension

  • negative beliefs about yourself

  • a sense that you are unsafe, powerless or not good enough

EMDR 2.0 is an adaptation of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. It uses many of the same principles as standard EMDR while placing greater emphasis on keeping a distressing memory active and using engaging mental tasks to reduce its vividness and emotional intensity.

The goal is not to erase the memory. The goal is to help your brain process the experience so that it feels more like something that happened in the past rather than something that is still happening now.

Minimalist line drawing of an eye within a circle, with dotted lines above representing an arc.

What Is EMDR 2.0?

EMDR 2.0 is an enhanced application of EMDR therapy developed by clinical psychologists and researchers Dr. Ad de Jongh and Dr. Suzy Matthijssen.

Like traditional EMDR, it involves briefly bringing a distressing memory to mind while completing another task at the same time.

In standard EMDR, that task often involves following side-to-side eye movements, listening to alternating sounds or receiving alternating taps.

EMDR 2.0 may use faster, more varied or more mentally demanding activities, such as:

  • rapid eye movements

  • following changing visual patterns

  • counting or completing simple mental calculations

  • spelling words

  • responding to prompts

  • tapping in specific patterns

  • movements or balance tasks

  • tracking sounds or visual cues

  • combining more than one task

These activities are selected and adjusted by the therapist. They are not tests, and you are not expected to perform them perfectly.

How Is EMDR 2.0
Different from Standard EMDR?

EMDR 2.0 follows the broader principles and treatment structure of EMDR, but the reprocessing portion may feel more active and varied.

Standard EMDR may involve:

  • focusing on a distressing memory

  • identifying associated emotions, sensations and beliefs

  • following repeated sets of eye movements or another form of bilateral stimulation

  • allowing associations and new insights to emerge

  • checking how disturbing the memory feels

EMDR 2.0 may place additional emphasis on:

  • clearly activating the most distressing part of the memory

  • reducing avoidance of the memory

  • using several kinds of attention-demanding tasks

  • adjusting the difficulty of the task throughout the session

  • matching tasks to the way a memory is experienced

  • keeping the processing focused and active

  • helping clients remain connected when they become distracted, avoidant or emotionally disconnected

EMDR 2.0 is not necessarily more intense in the sense of requiring you to endure more distress. The mental tasks are intended to compete with the memory for your attention, which may make the memory less vivid and emotionally overwhelming.

Blank beige background with a small centered green dot and two thin horizontal green lines extending outward from the dot.




The Theory Behind EMDR 2.0

Working memory is the part of your mental system that temporarily holds and works with information.

It has limited capacity.

When you bring a distressing image or memory to mind, that memory uses some of your available working-memory capacity. When you simultaneously complete another attention-demanding task, both activities compete for the same limited mental resources.

Researchers propose that this competition can make the memory:

  • less vivid

  • less emotionally intense

  • more distant

  • less physically activating

  • easier to think about

When the memory is recalled again, it may then be stored in an updated and less distressing form.

Working-memory taxation is one leading explanation for the effects of EMDR, although researchers continue to study precisely how EMDR and EMDR 2.0 produce change.

Blank white wall or surface.

What Can EMDR 2.0
Be Used For?

  • post-traumatic stress

  • single-incident trauma

  • childhood trauma

  • complex or repeated trauma

  • accidents

  • medical trauma

  • interpersonal violence

  • distressing relationship experiences

EMDR 2.0 is primarily used to address distressing memories and trauma-related symptoms.
Depending on your individual circumstances and treatment plan, it may be considered for experiences involving:

  • grief or traumatic loss

  • frightening images or intrusive memories

  • shame-based memories

  • panic associated with a past event

  • fears and phobias connected to distressing experiences

  • negative beliefs that developed from past experiences

Minimalist line drawing of a small plant with two leaves, a winding path, and a simple horizon line on a light background.

Having one of these concerns does not automatically mean that EMDR 2.0 is the most appropriate treatment.
We will discuss your symptoms, history, needs and goals before deciding how therapy should proceed.

Questions, Answered

Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR 2.0

  • 1. Identifying the treatment target

    We identify a specific memory, image, moment or experience connected to your current distress.

    You may be asked to identify:

    • the most disturbing part of the memory

    • a negative belief associated with it

    • the emotions that arise

    • where you feel the distress in your body

    • how disturbing the memory feels right now

    • what you would prefer to believe about yourself

    2. Activating the memory

    You will briefly bring the relevant image or experience into your awareness.

    This does not necessarily require a detailed verbal description. You may only need to provide enough information for us to identify what we are working on.

    3. Completing a working-memory task

    While holding the memory in mind, you will complete a task that requires attention.

    The task may change during the session depending on:

    • how vivid the memory feels

    • how emotionally activating it is

    • whether your mind is drifting

    • whether you are becoming overwhelmed

    • whether the task is too easy or too demanding

    • which parts of the memory are most noticeable

    4. Checking what has changed

    After a short set, we pause and notice what is present.

    You might observe:

    • a change in the image

    • a different emotion

    • a new thought

    • a physical sensation

    • another memory

    • a new perspective

    • a decrease in distress

    • no obvious change yet

    There is no correct response. You are not expected to make anything happen.

    5. Continuing or adjusting

    We may repeat the task, change its difficulty, shift attention to another part of the memory or pause to help you reconnect with the present.

    6. Closing the session

    Before the session ends, we assess how you are feeling and ensure that you are sufficiently grounded.

    You will not be expected to leave while significantly overwhelmed without first working toward stabilization and creating a plan for the time between sessions.

  • No.

    You will need to share enough information for us to develop a safe and appropriate treatment plan, but you may not need to describe every detail of a traumatic experience.

    During reprocessing, the most important information may be:

    • what image you are focusing on

    • how distressing it feels

    • what you notice emotionally and physically

    • whether anything is changing

    You remain in control of what you disclose.

  • No.

    EMDR and EMDR 2.0 is not hypnosis.

    You remain awake, aware and able to communicate throughout the session. You can:

    • ask questions

    • request a pause

    • slow the process down

    • decline a particular task

    • tell me when something is not working

    • stop the exercise

    You do not surrender control to the therapist, and the therapist does not place memories or beliefs into your mind.

  • No.

    EMDR 2.0 is not intended to remove factual memories.

    You may still remember what happened, but the memory may become:

    • less vivid

    • less emotionally charged

    • less intrusive

    • less physically activating

    • easier to discuss or think about

    • more clearly located in the past

    The aim is to reduce the current distress connected to the memory, not to make you forget your life experiences.

  • It may be used with people who have experienced prolonged, repeated or developmental trauma, but treatment must be individualized.

    Complex trauma may affect:

    • emotional regulation

    • trust and relationships

    • identity and self-worth

    • memory

    • dissociation

    • physical safety

    • the ability to recognize and communicate limits

    For some clients, reprocessing may begin relatively early. Others may benefit from a longer period of assessment, relationship-building, stabilization or skills development.

    Complex trauma does not automatically require years of preparation, but it should not be approached with a rigid or rushed protocol.

  • here is no standard number of sessions that applies to everyone.

    The length of treatment may be influenced by:

    • whether you are addressing one event or many experiences

    • the complexity and duration of the trauma

    • current stressors

    • your treatment goals

    • the presence of dissociation

    • your ability to remain engaged with the memory

    • how quickly memories change during processing

    • the frequency and length of sessions

    • whether other therapeutic work is also needed

    Some people notice a meaningful change in a specific memory within a small number of sessions. More complex concerns may require longer-term treatment involving several memories and themes.

    A rapid reduction in distress around one memory does not necessarily mean that every effect of the experience has been resolved.

  • Processing can sometimes continue after the appointment.

    You may notice:

    • new thoughts or insights

    • memories coming to mind

    • emotional sensitivity

    • vivid or unusual dreams

    • fatigue

    • temporary physical sensations

    • changes in how you respond to triggers

    • a sense of relief or emotional distance

    • no noticeable changes between sessions

    These experiences are not proof that therapy is or is not working.

    Before beginning reprocessing, we will discuss how to respond to changes between sessions and when to contact me or seek additional support.

    It can be helpful to plan a less demanding period immediately after a processing session when possible.

  • EMDR 2.0 may temporarily bring up uncomfortable emotions, memories or physical sensations.

    Possible short-term effects can include:

    • increased emotional sensitivity

    • fatigue

    • headaches or eye strain

    • dizziness or nausea

    • temporary activation of distressing memories

    • vivid dreams

    • difficulty concentrating

    • feeling emotionally unsettled

    • awareness of related memories that had not previously been prominent

    The risk of discomfort cannot be completely eliminated. Treatment should include informed consent, ongoing monitoring, appropriate pacing and a plan for managing distress.