Is it normal to cry during or after EMDR?

Yes. Crying is one of the most familiar forms of what EMDR's professional association calls an abreaction, a wave of emotion that surfaces as a memory network gets activated during reprocessing. It's considered a normal, expected part of the process, not a sign anything has gone wrong.

Does crying mean EMDR is working better than usual?

Not necessarily. Crying shows your nervous system is releasing something, but it isn't a scorecard. Plenty of people process real material quietly, without tears, and that's just as valid. How you feel afterward and over the following days matters more than whether you cried during the session.

Why do I start crying hours after my EMDR session instead of during it?

Processing doesn't always stop when a session ends. EMDR's professional association notes that some processing continues afterward, with new material sometimes surfacing later. That delay is part of why tears, or other reactions like vivid dreams or an EMDR hangover, can catch you well after the session is over.

Should I try to stop myself from crying during EMDR?

No, there's no need to hold it back. Let the wave build, peak, and ease on its own, which usually happens within minutes. If distress keeps climbing instead of settling, ground yourself first: notice a few things you can see, and feel your feet on the floor.

What's the difference between normal crying and a bigger warning sign?

Tears that build, peak, and ease within the same session are normal, even when the cry is a big one. Distress that keeps climbing instead of settling, or lingers for days alongside feeling numb or foggy, is different and worth bringing to a trained professional rather than working through alone.

Why Do I Cry After EMDR?

Crying after EMDR is a common, healthy response. EMDR asks your brain to hold a memory in mind while it processes, and that can activate real emotion that then needs somewhere to go. Professionals call this an abreaction. It doesn’t mean anything went wrong, and not crying doesn’t mean anything is missing either.

What’s happening in your body when you cry?

During EMDR, you hold a distressing memory in mind while doing bilateral stimulation, the left-right eye movements, tones, or taps at its core. That combination can activate a memory that’s been sitting quietly, and activated memories often carry real feeling with them. Crying is one of the most familiar ways that feeling surfaces.

EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association, calls this an abreaction: a wave of strong emotion or sensation that comes up during reprocessing. Crying, shaking, a tight throat, and a sudden rush of fear or anger all fall under the same umbrella. EMDRIA describes it as a normal, expected part of working through a target, not evidence that something has gone wrong. Our full breakdown of what an abreaction feels like covers the other forms it can take.

There’s a body-level shift underneath the tears, too. A 2008 study in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders tracked heart rate and heart-rate variability during EMDR reprocessing and found a shift toward calmer, more parasympathetic activity (the body’s rest-and-digest mode) as processing continued. Crying often lands right at that turn, similar to the release after a tense conversation finally ends.

Does crying mean EMDR is working?

Not exactly. Crying is a sign your nervous system is discharging something, not a scorecard for how well a session went. Plenty of people process real material without any tears, staying quiet and still the whole time, and that’s just as valid. Judge a session by how you feel afterward and over the following days, not by whether you cried during it.

Why does it sometimes hit later, not during the session?

Processing doesn’t always stay inside the session. EMDRIA notes that clients are briefed that some processing may continue afterward. New material can keep surfacing in the hours or days that follow. That’s part of why tears can catch you on the drive home, that evening, or the next day, seemingly out of nowhere.

If delayed tears show up alongside heavy fatigue or a foggy, hungover feeling, that combination has a name: see what an EMDR hangover is and how long it lasts. Unusually vivid dreams are common too; we cover why in why you might have vivid dreams after EMDR. Neither is cause for alarm on its own.

Is the crying actually doing something, or does it just feel bad?

In the moment, crying can feel like it’s making things worse, not better. A 2015 study in Motivation and Emotion tracked people’s mood before and after they cried at a sad film. Mood dipped right after the tears, returned to normal by 20 minutes, and was measurably better than their starting point by 90 minutes later. Relief tends to be real here too, just slower to arrive than the tears themselves.

There’s a reason tears exist at all beyond reflex. A 2018 review in Human Nature proposes that emotional tears evolved as a signal that something real is being felt and needs attention. That signal seems aimed at yourself as much as at anyone watching. Crying after EMDR fits that same pattern: a system flagging that the material mattered, not one malfunctioning.

What should you do when it happens?

Let it happen rather than fighting it. Keep tissues nearby, breathe, and give the wave a few minutes. Abreactions tend to build, peak, and ease on their own, often faster than you’d expect. If distress keeps climbing instead of settling, stop and ground yourself: name a few things you can see, and feel your feet on the floor.

Afterward, treat yourself gently rather than rushing back into your day. Our after-session checklist covers rest, hydration, and grounding in more depth. If you’re working through everyday stress on your own, EmEase, a self-guided EMDR app, lets you set the pace of each session at app.emease.com, so you’re never rushed past a moment like this.

When is crying a sign to slow down?

A heavy cry that builds, peaks, and eases within the session is part of normal processing, even when it catches you off guard.

Usually just release	Worth a closer look
Tears build, peak, and ease during the session	Distress keeps climbing instead of settling
You feel lighter, tired, or relieved afterward	Numbness, fog, or feeling checked-out for days
Emotion clearly tied to the memory you targeted	New, overwhelming material you didn’t choose

That second column is worth taking seriously. Our honest look at feeling worse after EMDR at first walks through where that line sits, and why fatigue often follows too rounds out the after-effects picture. Heavier material is best worked through with a trained professional rather than alone.