People who have trouble getting in touch with how they feel about an event, or who are reluctant to, sometimes find that EMDR makes it easier. This method helps them to go into the memory or feelings without much effort, and maintain their control.

Many people describe the experience as feeling as if they are back in the painful event while feeling securely in the present. There is a sense of being close to the memory or feelings, while being distant from it at the same time. This dual experience of being simultaneously close and distant assists in a faster processing of the event. This can make it less overwhelming, and still be very deep work.

For some people, particularly trauma survivors, very intense and painful feelings are accessed. This leaves some people feeling quite vulnerable or raw particularly the first few times they try EMDR. It can help to keep this in mind when starting EMDR; you might want to keep your evenings free so you can go home after work and rest. Some people feel just fine all week, others feel fine for the first day and then feel vulnerable the following days. One of the benefits of EMDR is it stimulates your brain's natural ability to heal itself, and once stimulated your brain continues to process during the week. Because of this you can feel emotional, even very emotional, during the week, although usually only for a few days after the EMDR session.

What people experience visually varies from person to person. Some people begin to see events unfold sequentially, sometimes this includes remembering things they had not before. Some people spend time with one event, and then another one comes to mind, and later another one. Some see one image which may or may not change, but they feel more than they have before.

Some people spontaneously see themselves change a past event, for example their adult self rescuing themself as a child. Throughout, the eye movements or tones are helping people to fully process the event, so they can move on and not be held back by it.