Trauma Therapy & EMDR

What EMDR is

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — EMDR — is a structured therapy developed in the 1980s to help people move through the effects of difficult or traumatic experiences. It’s used widely and has decades of research behind it, including endorsement from the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization.

In plain terms: EMDR helps the brain finish processing experiences that got stuck. When something overwhelming happens, the brain sometimes stores the memory in a way that keeps it feeling present — as if it’s still happening. EMDR uses a specific kind of back-and-forth attention (eye movements, gentle sounds, or taps) to help the brain reprocess those memories so they feel like things that happened, rather than things that are happening now.

What a session looks like

You won’t relive anything. You won’t be hypnotized. We’ll talk, like ordinary therapy — and at certain points, I’ll guide you through a short processing sequence. You stay in control throughout. We start with several sessions of preparation before any processing begins, so by the time we get there, you’ll feel ready.

Who it can help

• Single-incident trauma (accident, assault, loss)
• Complex or developmental trauma from childhood
• PTSD
• Anxiety and panic with a traceable origin
• Grief that has stayed acute longer than expected
• Performance anxiety and phobias

Many clients find EMDR moves faster than traditional talk therapy for specific memories. That said, faster is relative — trauma work is never rushed, and everyone’s pace is different.

What it isn’t

• It isn’t hypnosis.
• It isn’t a requirement to talk about the worst details.
• It isn’t a one-session fix.

Frequently asked

How many sessions does EMDR take?

It depends on the person and the scope of the work. A focused piece of trauma work might take 8–12 sessions; broader work takes longer.

Does it work over video?

Yes — EMDR can be done effectively via telehealth with the right setup. We’ll talk through this during your consultation.