EMDR
Why EMDR therapy?
What is EMDR therapy?
Do you ever feel frustrated with yourself? Do certain memories or thoughts bring up a heavy feeling in your gut? EMDR therapy might help.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy that helps change the way you see yourself and your past. It can help reduce anxiety, improve self-esteem, and even lead to better sleep.
EMDR is for More Than Just Trauma
Many people think EMDR is only for big, shocking traumas, but that’s not true. While it was first created for trauma recovery, EMDR has helped people with:
✔️ Anxiety and depression
✔️ Sleep problems
✔️ Phobias and fears
✔️ Complex PTSD
✔️ And more
How it Works
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy that helps your brain process past trauma and emotional pain. Sometimes, our brains get “stuck” on painful memories or stressful experiences, making it hard to move forward. EMDR helps unlock and reprocess those memories, so they no longer feel as overwhelming.
How EMDR Helps You Heal
EMDR shifts the impact of difficult experiences—whether they happened years ago or just recently. By reprocessing painful memories and negative beliefs, EMDR helps you heal, feel more in control, and build healthier relationships.
Reduce Your Anxiety
Many people avoid their fears and worries, but EMDR helps you face them in a safe way. By reprocessing these thoughts, EMDR can reduce anxiety and help you feel more in control.
Move Forward with your Life
The goal of EMDR isn’t just to survive tough emotions—it’s to work through them, so they no longer hold you back. It can help with:
✔️ Hurtful words from a parent that still bother you
✔️ A past failure that makes you afraid to try again
✔️ Rejection from friends or peers
✔️ Getting fired from a job
✔️ Any negative belief about yourself that won’t go away
If certain thoughts or memories keep you stuck, EMDR can help you move forward with confidence.
You don’t have to stay stuck in the past. EMDR can help you move forward.
How EMDR was Created
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) was created by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s after a surprising discovery.
One day, while walking in a park, she noticed something interesting: when she moved her eyes back and forth, a distressing thought felt less overwhelming.
How It Became a Therapy
Curious about this, she decided to test it with volunteers. She found that moving the eyes back and forth helped reduce emotional distress.
This led to the development of EMDR therapy, which has since been extensively studied and is now known as one of the best ways to treat trauma.
There’s a growing body of research supporting the effectiveness of EMDR, especially when it comes to trauma. Studies have also explored its benefits for conditions like anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. The underlying idea is that how our brain processes and stores information directly impacts our mental health. EMDR has been shown to improve mood, energy levels, sleep quality, and reduce symptoms of anxiety and hypervigilance, among other challenges (Shapiro, 2018).
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (3rd ed.): Basic principles, protocols, and procedures. The Guilford Press.
Brass Tacks of EMDR
1. We’ll talk about your past and figure out what specific memories or beliefs you want to work on—whether it’s a painful event or a negative way of thinking about yourself. | 4-6. Through this process, we aim to reduce the emotional charge of the memory (4) , replace negative thoughts with positive ones (5) , and ease any physical tension connected to it (6). |
2. We’ll assess your current coping skills and add a few tools, as EMDR can be intense. | 7-8. Finally, we’ll work on how to manage any future triggers, so you feel more in control moving forward. |
3. We process a memory using bilateral movements, which activates both sides of your brain. This can be done through eye movements (like following a ball on a screen), sounds in headphones, or buzzing tappers in your hands. All methods are equally effective, so we’ll use what feels best for you. | Through this process, you’ll regain control over overwhelming memories, improve your emotional regulation, and grow stronger and more resilient. EMDR helps you gain a healthier view of yourself, reduces stress, and builds self-compassion. It also helps you move through tough memories with a renewed sense of hope. |
While EMDR can be challenging, it’s faster than traditional therapy. In the short term, you’ll feel more hopeful and empowered, and in the long term, it clears emotional blocks that fuel anxiety, depression, and trauma, leading to more internal peace, happiness, and healthier relationships
Frequently Asked Questions
How exactly does it work?
The side to side movements help jog the memory or target and bring it from your long term memory to your working memory. The combination of the movements along with focusing on the event help change how you feel about the target, what you believe about yourself, and sometimes even the memory itself.
Does EMDR work?
YES! I have seen EMDR reduce panic attacks and feelings of fear and depression after assault. I have seen it improve self-esteem and heal wounds that were decades old. EMDR was able to change these thought processes much faster than basic talk therapy. My clients have seen significant positive changes in how they view themselves after using EMDR. They experience fewer symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Can you use EMDR with virtual therapy?
Over the past couple of years, more and more therapists have been using EMDR online due to the pandemic. Several research studies have been conducted at this time and have shown EMDR to be as effective online as it is in person. To see some of this research, please visit the website linked below.
What if I don’t remember the event(s) that well?
It is perfectly acceptable if you don’t fully remember what happened to you. It is possible to use EMDR to address even the knowledge of what happened to you as well as the leftover ways it impacted how you view yourself or feel in your body.
EMDR can help you unravel the threads that keep you stuck and ultimately help you become more connected and self-compassionate.
My credentials with this method
I have been practicing therapy since 2014 and was trained in EMDR in 2019. I was trained by the Institute for Creative Mindfulness and completed the 4 days of training and 10 hours of consultation required. I am also certified in EMDR which means I have met a certain number of hours with clients using EMDR and have accrued more than 20 hours of EMDR supervision, where someone provides supervision specifically regarding my usage of EMDR with clients.
I have been intrigued by EMDR since grad school. I first learned about it in one of my classes and it seemed like pure magic. As soon as I completed my independent licensure process in 2018, I started looking into what it takes to master this form of therapy. I originally pursued EMDR because I wanted to help people who have experienced trauma, and while I still have the privilege of doing that, my understanding of trauma has widened vastly. I can see how trauma impacts anxiety, depression, and self-esteem in such a deep way. Over time my use of EMDR has shifted more into focusing on the trauma, but also on how people feel about themselves bc how we feel about ourselves dictates how we interact with the people who mean the most to us.
If you are considering EMDR therapy, please click on the free consultation button to schedule directly on my calendar or click on the contact button to send me a message. I would love to help you feel more at peace.