Transform Your Healing Journey with EMDR Therapy. Experience rapid relief from trauma and anxiety as we help you process and integrate your experiences in a safe, supportive environment. Discover the power of EMDR to unlock your potential and reclaim your life!

How EMDR Therapy Works (Without the Jargon)

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing—but don’t worry, you don’t need to remember all that. Here’s what actually happens:

In EMDR therapy, you’ll revisit a memory or feeling from a past trauma—but you won’t do it alone. Your therapist helps you safely bring up that memory, along with the thoughts or beliefs that still feel painful or stuck.

Then comes the “magic” part: bilateral stimulation. That just means doing something that gently engages both sides of your brain—like watching lights move back and forth, tapping your hands, or using small buzzers you hold. While your brain is busy with that light distraction, you focus on the memory.

This gives your brain the chance to reprocess it—kind of like taking a file that was stuck and helping it move into long-term storage without setting off your internal alarm bells anymore.

As the memory becomes less distressing, your therapist helps you shift to a more helpful, grounded belief about yourself. One that actually supports your healing.

What’s Really Happening in Your Brain During EMDR: The Working Memory Edition (Nerd lite)

At its core, EMDR therapy uses your brain’s working memory to help desensitize distressing memories from trauma.

Here’s how it works:

Your working memory is like your brain’s mental “scratchpad”—it’s what you use to temporarily hold and process information. But it has limited capacity. That’s important.

In EMDR, your therapist guides you to bring up a distressing image, memory, or belief that’s linked to past trauma. At the same time, you engage in something called bilateral stimulation—like eye movements, alternating tapping, or buzzers that activate both sides of your body and brain.

This creates a dual attention task:
You’re holding a charged memory and processing bilateral input at once.

Because your working memory has limited bandwidth, the emotional intensity of the traumatic memory gets disrupted. Your brain can’t fully keep the memory vivid while it’s also managing the stimulation—it “scrambles” the distress signal just enough to allow you to reprocess the memory without getting overwhelmed.

Over repeated sets, the memory becomes less vivid, less distressing, and more neutral. Once the distress drops significantly, your therapist will help you “install” a new, more adaptive belief—replacing old trauma-based thoughts like “I’m not safe” with something like “I survived” or “I’m in control now.”

This is not hypnosis or suppression—it’s how your brain naturally integrates unresolved material when it finally feels safe and supported enough to do so.

Who Can Benefit from EMDR?

EMDR is effective for individuals experiencing:

• PTSD and trauma
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Depression
• Grief and loss
• Phobias
• Performance anxiety

Why Choose EMDR?

• Fast-acting: Many clients report significant relief after just a few sessions.
• Holistic: EMDR addresses both emotional and physical responses to trauma.
• Empowering: Clients regain control over their memories and emotional responses.

Is EMDR Right for You?

If you’re struggling with unresolved trauma or distressing thoughts, EMDR may be a valuable option for your healing journey. Consult with a trained EMDR therapist to explore how this approach can support your recovery.

EMDR for Complex Trauma: Why Experience (and Customization) Matter

If your trauma history feels like a tangled web instead of one clear event—you’re not alone. That’s actually called complex trauma, and it means your brain has been through a lot over time. When the hard stuff piles up or blends together, your nervous system needs more than a one-size-fits-all approach.

That’s where working with an experienced EMDR therapist becomes essential.

For people with complex trauma, we don’t usually jump right into reprocessing memories. Instead, we start with building safety and regulating distress, so your brain isn’t overwhelmed. You’ll learn how to gently “titrate” into the work—step by step—rather than diving in headfirst.

I’m trained in advanced EMDR methods that adapt the model for brains that tend to go into overdrive. This includes tools like:
✅ Interweaves (extra support when processing gets stuck)
✅ Cognitive balancing (so your thoughts don’t spin out)
✅ Neural Desensitization and Integration Training (NDIT)—a gentler approach for highly activated nervous systems

If you also live with something like OCD, we may modify how we do EMDR to avoid looping or over-processing.

The right EMDR therapist doesn’t just “do the protocol”—they customize it for your brain, your history, and your pace. That difference can mean the path to healing finally feels doable instead of like another frustrating dead end.

Reach out today to learn more about EMDR therapy and begin your journey toward healing and empowerment.

Is EMDR Safe?

Yes, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is considered a safe and effective therapeutic approach. It is an evidence-based treatment that has been extensively researched and is widely used for trauma recovery and other mental health conditions. One of the benefits of choosing me as your therapist is also my experience and ability to adapt your treatment to your specific needs, especially related to the speed of your processing and need for support. Here are a few key points regarding its safety:

1. Trained Professionals: EMDR should only be conducted by licensed therapists who are specifically trained in the method, ensuring that the process is handled appropriately and ethically.
2. Structured Process: EMDR follows a structured eight-phase approach, providing a clear framework that prioritizes client safety and comfort throughout the therapy.
3. Empowerment: The therapy empowers clients to process traumatic memories at their own pace, allowing them to engage with the material when they feel ready.
4. Coping Mechanisms: Before processing traumatic memories, therapists help clients develop coping strategies to manage any distress that may arise.
5. Minimal Side Effects: While some clients may experience temporary emotional discomfort during or after sessions, this is typically manageable and often leads to greater healing.