I am a bit wary of the comment that "in the hands of a professional EMDR therapist, there should be no freak-outs or worsening of day-to-day functioning."

I appreciate the treatment is quickly gaining in popularity and credibility, however, many negative reactions have been reported and it is not for everyone. There are several good discussions of EMDR on myptsd.com so I hope you will check those out for more from the client side. I've heard some success stories but also some difficult ones.