Skip to content
Taking new clients — next available appointment 18 August Sarajevo · online · Bosnian and English
Merima Pašalić EMDR
psychotherapy
BS Free first call

What is a first EMDR session like?

Short answer

A first session is a conversation, not processing. I ask what brought you, what is happening now and what you have already tried, and I explain how the method works. Nothing opens and no memory is processed. Processing usually begins only after two or three sessions of preparation.

Most people expect to dive straight in. It is the other way round — the early sessions are entirely about being sure you can stop.

The first fifty minutes, in order

  1. 01

    Arriving

    Ferhadija 00, third floor, lift on the right. There is no reception and no waiting room with other people — you arrive on time and I let you in.

    first 5 minutes
  2. 02

    What brought you

    You talk, I mostly listen. I do not ask for a chronology and I do not ask for the details of the event.

    about 20 minutes
  3. 03

    What is happening now

    Sleep, concentration, what you avoid. This is what we later measure progress against.

    about 10 minutes
  4. 04

    How the method works

    I explain the procedure and demonstrate bilateral stimulation on something neutral, so you know how it feels.

    about 10 minutes
  5. 05

    What we agree

    I tell you honestly what I think, roughly how long I expect it to take, and what the next step is.

    last 5 minutes
Each session ends with time for stabilisation, a check on how you are, and an agreement about the period until we next meet.

Four things people think are required of them

  • You do not have to tell the details — not the first time, not ever
  • You do not have to cry, and I measure nothing by it
  • You do not need a diagnosis, a referral or a report
  • You do not have to be ready today — readiness is the work of preparation, not a condition of coming

What to bring

Nothing. If you take medication it helps to know the name. If you have been in therapy before it helps to tell me what worked and what did not — particularly what did not.

If you cancel

Let me know the day before and the session is free of charge. If you cannot manage that, get in touch when you can — I do not keep a record of it and I will not ask why.

Questions

Before a first visit

What if I change my mind after the first session?

Then you do not come back, and that is fine. There are no packages, no commitment and no follow-up call to check whether you have reconsidered. If you would like, I will help you find someone else.

How long is the wait for a first appointment?

The next available appointment at the moment is 18 August. The free phone call is usually sooner — often the same week.

Do you work online, and is it the same?

I do. Bilateral stimulation adapts to a screen and works. You need a private room where nobody interrupts you and a stable connection — and I will say so if I think in person is safer in your case.

A phone call comes before the first session

Twenty minutes, no charge and no commitment. Mostly I listen, then I tell you honestly whether I am the right person for this.