When EMDR Stalls: Looping, Blocked Processing, and What Your Therapist Does Next
Last reviewed: 10/02/2026
Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly
You started EMDR with real hope. The first sessions moved: a memory that used to knock the wind out of you began to feel more distant. Now, a few sessions in, something has changed. The same image keeps coming back set after set, or nothing seems to move at all, and you leave wondering whether EMDR has stopped working, or whether you are doing it wrong.
When EMDR stalls, it is a recognized moment in treatment, not a sign that you have failed. EMDR's own procedures expect that processing will sometimes get stuck, and therapists have standard ways to respond [1][2]. If you are new to how the method works, our EMDR and bilateral stimulation page explains the basics. This guide is written for the person who is partway through and feels stuck.
In this article, you'll learn:
What "looping" and "blocked processing" mean, in plain language
Four misconceptions that make a stall feel worse than it is
How your therapist tracks progress and works out why things have stalled
What your therapist may try next, and how strong the evidence is for each step
When and how to raise it, and when another approach may fit better
What "stalling" means in EMDR: the one-paragraph answer
In EMDR, "blocked processing" describes a stretch where a memory stops shifting and the distress attached to it stops coming down [3]. "Looping" is closely related: the same thoughts, feelings, or body sensations cycling around without change [3]. These terms are used in EMDR clinical training and writing, including articles on the EMDR International Association's blog [2][3]. Every reprocessing session still ends with a closing step to help you settle, whether or not the memory finished processing that day [4][5]. Our walkthrough of the 8 phases of EMDR therapy shows where this happens in the protocol.
🧭 Key takeaway: Stalling is a named, expected part of EMDR, with a standard response. It is a reason to talk with your therapist, not a sign that you have failed.
Four misconceptions about getting stuck
"If I'm stuck, EMDR isn't working for me." In reality, a stall is something the method plans for. The EMDR Institute describes it directly: if a client "has difficulty in progressing, the therapist follows established procedures to help the client get back on track" [1]. Many people do improve with EMDR. A 2026 meta-analysis of 65 randomized trials found that EMDR reduced PTSD symptoms compared with control conditions, and that the benefit held at follow-up [6].
"Getting stuck means I'm doing it wrong." There is very little to "do right" in EMDR. It does not involve homework or a detailed retelling of the trauma [5], and the procedures for getting unstuck are your therapist's job, not yours [1]. What helps most is telling your therapist honestly what you are noticing, including "nothing is changing."
"If I dissociate, EMDR can't work for me." Feeling numb, far away, or "not there" can stall a session, and it may change how your therapist paces the work [3][7]. But a meta-analysis of 21 trials with 1,714 patients found that dissociation before treatment was not related to how well psychotherapy for PTSD worked [8]. If dissociation is part of your picture, our trauma treatment team can talk through how to pace the work around it.
"The fix is a technique I can do on my own between sessions." The main tools for a stall, called cognitive interweaves, are brief questions or comments your therapist offers during processing [7][2]. They are not do-it-yourself exercises. What you can practice between sessions are the calming and grounding skills you learned in preparation [9].
Signs processing is stuck
Looping: the same image, thought, or feeling on repeat
Picture someone reprocessing a car accident from two years ago. For the first few sets, the memory shifts: the sound of the crash gets quieter and the scene feels further away. Then it stops shifting. Each time her therapist checks in, she reports the same thing: "It was my fault, I should have seen him." The same tightness sits in her chest, and when they return to the memory, her distress rating has not moved. Nothing is getting worse, but the memory is going around in a circle instead of moving forward. That is looping.
Blocked or flat processing: nothing seems to change
Or: a man working on a memory from his teens notices that, set after set, nothing new comes up. The image is clear, and so is the knot of dread that comes with it, but when his therapist asks what he notices, he says "same as before," which is true. When they check his distress rating, it sits at a 6 and will not budge. He is not overwhelmed, and he is not numb or far away. He is simply not moving, and he leaves the session flat rather than relieved. That can also be blocked processing, and it can be harder to notice than looping because it does not feel dramatic.
👀 Key takeaway: Looping feels like going around in circles. Blocked or flat processing feels like nothing is moving. Both are worth naming to your therapist in the moment.
How your therapist figures out why
Tracking distress (SUD) and belief (VOC) ratings across sets
Before reprocessing a memory, your therapist sets two baselines [4]. The SUD (Subjective Units of Disturbance) rating asks how disturbing the memory feels from 0, no disturbance, to 10, the highest disturbance you can imagine. The VOC (Validity of Cognition) rating asks how true a positive belief about yourself feels from 1, completely false, to 7, totally true [5]. Both are checked again during treatment [5]. A memory is considered fully processed when it feels neutral, the positive belief feels completely true, and your body feels clear of disturbance [4]. When the SUD stops coming down each time you return to the memory, that is how a stall shows up in the numbers.
Your therapist may also ask you to repeat a symptom checklist such as the PCL-5 from time to time. It is a validated measure of PTSD symptoms, and monitoring change during treatment is one of its intended uses [10][11]. The National Center for PTSD notes that evidence on what counts as meaningful improvement is limited, and suggests a 10-point drop as one sign of response [11]. A stall inside one session and a flat PCL-5 over weeks are different signals, and both are useful to discuss.
Feeder memories, blocking beliefs, and dissociation
Clinical writing on EMDR, focused on guilt and shame after trauma, describes several reasons a memory can stop moving [3]:
A feeder memory. An earlier, sometimes forgotten memory can feed the current one and hold it in place.
A blocking belief. A deep belief such as "I am unworthy" or "I do not deserve healing" can keep the memory from connecting to a healthier view of what happened, which can produce looping. Cognitive processing therapy works on beliefs like these directly, which is why our comparison of EMDR and cognitive processing therapy may be useful if this sounds familiar.
An overwhelming reaction. A surge of sensation that tips into panic, high arousal, or dissociation can stop processing in its tracks.
Two other factors come from guidelines and EMDR practice writing rather than from studies of stalls. Some people need more preparation time before their nervous system can stay with a hard memory [7][4]. And for people with complex needs, instability in life outside therapy, such as housing problems, can affect how well trauma treatment as a whole takes hold [9].
🔍 Key takeaway: Your therapist is asking why the memory stopped, not whether you tried hard enough. Earlier memories, stuck beliefs, and overwhelm are among the reasons clinicians look for, and life stress can affect treatment as a whole.
What your therapist does next
Cognitive interweaves, target changes, and returning to resourcing
The responses depend on the reason. A cognitive interweave is a short question or comment from your therapist, designed to add the piece of information or perspective the memory seems to be missing so processing can resume [7]. An article on the EMDR International Association's blog notes that EMDR's founder listed looping as one of four situations that can call for an interweave [2]. If an earlier feeder memory seems to be driving things, your therapist may process that memory first and then return to the original one [3]. If a blocking belief is in the way, they may work on that belief directly before going back [3]. Your therapist may also adjust the bilateral stimulation itself, for example switching between eye movements, taps, and tones [7], all of which are standard options [9]. If you seem under-resourced or overwhelmed, the right move, in clinical practice, may be to pause reprocessing and return to the calming and grounding work from preparation [7][4].
It is worth being honest about the evidence here. These tools are well described in EMDR training and clinical writing, and therapists report using them [12], but we could not find randomized trials that test cognitive interweaves directly, and the other responses are described in the same clinical writing rather than in trials we know of. That does not make them guesswork. It means they rest on clinical experience and EMDR's model more than on trials, so expect your therapist to be flexible and to check with you as they go.
Why pushing through or quitting quietly is not the answer
When a session stalls, two urges are common: grit your teeth and force the memory to move, or quietly stop booking sessions. Neither gives your therapist the information they need. EMDR is meant to be paced to you, with extra preparation and adjustments when you need them [9][7]. How much extra preparation helps is still debated in the research, and some experts warn that, for complex PTSD, too much can delay treatment that would help [13]. That is exactly why your input matters.
Leaving early is not rare. Across randomized trials of psychological therapies for PTSD in adults, about 16% of participants dropped out, and the figure for EMDR was about 18% [14]. Most of those studies did not report, or reported poorly, why people left [14], so nobody can say how many left because they felt stuck. What research does show is that talking about it tends to help. When strains in the working relationship between therapist and client are repaired, outcomes tend to be better [15]. And in studies of therapy in general, when progress is measured and shared, people whose therapy is going off track are less likely to get worse and nearly twice as likely to show meaningful improvement [16].
🗣️ Key takeaway: A stall is information. Saying "this feels stuck" out loud gives your therapist what they need to change course.
When to raise it with your therapist
Consider a woman eight sessions into EMDR for a sexual assault. Early on, things moved, but the last three sessions have circled the same moment, and she has started dreading Tuesdays. She almost cancels. Instead, she opens the next session by saying, "I don't think this is moving anymore, and I'm starting to want to stop." Her therapist thanks her, looks back over her ratings with her, and suspects an older memory is feeding this one. They agree to spend part of the session on grounding, then look at that earlier memory next week. Nothing dramatic changed in that conversation. But the treatment now fits what is actually happening.
A simple way to decide when to speak up:
If one session stalls but you leave settled: that is a normal part of the process. Mention it at the start of your next session, when your therapist reviews how things went.
If several sessions in a row circle the same place, or your ratings have stopped moving: raise it now and ask what your therapist thinks is happening.
If you feel numb, far away, or lose track of time during sets: tell your therapist in the moment, so they can slow down and help you ground.
If you leave sessions shaken for days, not hours, or your symptoms are getting worse between sessions (more flashbacks or nightmares, trouble functioning at work or home, urges to drink or use): contact your therapist before your next session rather than waiting. Discomfort during processing is usually brief, so lasting distress is something to address [17].
If you are thinking about stopping: say that too, before you stop, so you can decide together and close out treatment safely.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, or you feel you cannot keep yourself safe: do not wait for your next session. Call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
Questions you can bring to that conversation:
"What are my distress ratings doing across sessions, and what do you make of the pattern?"
"Do you think an earlier memory or a belief about myself might be blocking this one?"
"Would it help to spend more time on preparation, or to change the target?"
"How are we tracking progress over weeks, not just within a session?"
"If EMDR does not turn out to be the right fit, what would you suggest instead, and why?"
When another approach may fit better
Sometimes the honest answer is that a different approach suits you better, at least for now. That is not failure. EMDR is one of several trauma-focused therapies recommended for PTSD: the 2023 VA/DoD guideline recommends EMDR, prolonged exposure, and cognitive processing therapy [18], UK guidance recommends offering EMDR to adults with PTSD more than 3 months after a non-combat trauma [9], and the American Psychological Association's guideline "suggests" it [5]. Head-to-head evidence among trauma-focused therapies has not been enough to show that any one is more effective than the others, and a 2025 review found EMDR comparably effective to trauma-focused CBT [19]. Our specialized therapy services include several of these trauma-focused options.
If your distress feels held mostly in the body, our guide to Brainspotting versus EMDR covers another option, one with a younger research base. And if dissociation keeps interrupting the work, that deserves direct attention: trauma treatments tend to reduce dissociation only modestly, and researchers suggest it needs to be targeted more explicitly [20].
🔄 Key takeaway: If EMDR is not the right fit, other trauma-focused therapies with good evidence are available. Choosing a different approach with your therapist is a treatment decision, not quitting.
Next step: getting support
Feeling stuck partway through EMDR is discouraging, especially after early progress. But a stall is a known part of the work, with known next steps, and the most useful thing you can do is name it. Your therapist can look at what your ratings are doing, consider what might be holding the memory in place, and adjust the plan with you, whether that means a different angle within EMDR or a different approach.
Carrying something that still feels close?
Trauma-focused care — including approaches like EMDR — can help you process what happened at a pace that feels safe, with a clinician who understands trauma responses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does looping mean during EMDR processing?
Looping is when the same thoughts, feelings, or body sensations keep coming back set after set without shifting. It is one of the recognized ways processing can stall. Clinical writers link it to blocking beliefs, such as a sense of not deserving to heal. An earlier feeder memory is a separate, related reason processing can stall. Your therapist has standard ways to respond, so looping is something to mention, not something to fix on your own.
Can dissociation stop EMDR from working?
Research so far suggests it does not, at least overall. A meta-analysis of 21 trials of psychotherapy for PTSD, not EMDR alone, found that dissociation before treatment was not related to how well treatment worked. During a session, though, feeling numb, far away, or 'not there' can stall processing and may change how your therapist paces the work, so tell them when it happens.
Should I stop EMDR if I feel stuck?
Talk with your therapist before deciding. Feeling stuck is a recognized part of EMDR, and your therapist can try a different angle, return to preparation skills, or switch targets. If EMDR still is not a good fit after that conversation, other trauma-focused therapies with good evidence are available. Ending through a conversation also lets the last session close safely.
Is EMDR the hardest trauma therapy?
We are not aware of research that ranks trauma therapies by difficulty, and how hard therapy feels varies from person to person. EMDR differs from some other trauma therapies in that it does not require homework or a detailed description of the trauma, and the discomfort during processing is usually brief. It is still real work, so tell your therapist when it feels like too much.
How many EMDR sessions does it usually take?
It varies. The American Psychological Association's PTSD guideline website describes EMDR as typically 6 to 12 sessions, and UK guidance says 8 to 12 sessions for adults, more if needed, for example after multiple traumas. Processing one specific memory generally takes one to three sessions. A memory that takes longer is not by itself a sign that something is wrong, but it is worth talking through with your therapist.
About the Author
Dr. Kiesa Kelly is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of ScienceWorks Behavioral Healthcare. EMDR is her preferred approach for treating trauma and PTSD, and her trauma training includes EMDR Basic Training and group consultation through VIA EMDR, EMDR for Attachment Injuries with Debra Wesselmann, and the Flash Technique with Philip Manfield, PhD, and Nina Zadurian.
Dr. Kelly earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology, with a concentration in Neuropsychology, from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. She completed practica, internship, and an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Florida, and Vanderbilt University, and has more than 20 years of experience in psychological assessment. She is a psychologist, not a physician, and does not prescribe medication.
References
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Disclaimer
This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It does not teach EMDR techniques for use on your own, and EMDR should be delivered by a trained clinician. Reading this article does not establish a clinician-client relationship. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.