Before you start EMDR, you can ask whatever you want first

People ask me online what they should know before they start EMDR. Most of them ask it like a packing list. A sweater, a few snacks, a charger.

I don't have a list like that. The one thing I'd put at the top is short. Before you start EMDR, you can ask whatever you want first.

Here's why I put it first. Most of what you can read ahead of time is about EMDR in general. That's fine for getting familiar with it. It can't tell you whether it fits you, and that's the part that matters. EMDR is one method I use, and I use it when it fits. I choose methods with the person in front of me, so the answer depends on you. That makes it a conversation before it's a decision.

The questions I hear are ordinary ones. What does a session look like? How long does it take? Do I have to tell you everything? What if I feel worse before I feel better? What if I want to stop in the middle?

Every one of those is worth asking before the first session. None of them is too small. None of them is too early. You can ask them in your own words, in whatever order they come to you.

Other people's stories online are real, and they're theirs. They can tell you what happened to them. They can't tell you what will happen in your session, and I can't tell you what EMDR will do for you either. What I can do is answer you about how I work, so you decide with what you know and not with what you imagined.

If you don't know what to ask, say that. "I don't know what to ask" is a fine place to start. You can also ask something that sounds off topic. How online sessions work. What I need from you the first day. Whether it's okay to bring a list.

That's what the free consultation is for. It's thirty minutes and it's for your questions. You don't have to show up with a plan or the right words. Bring the questions you've been carrying around, even the ones you think are silly.

That's my answer. Before you start EMDR, you can ask whatever you want first.

If this is familiar, write me. We can set a free consultation so I can answer your questions.