EMDR Therapy
A scientifically supported, body-centered method for addressing trauma
“I’d done years of talk therapy and I could tell you exactly why I was the way I was. But EMDR was the first thing that actually changed it. Six months in, I had a memory that used to make me leave my body — and I realized I could think about it without flinching. That had never happened before.”
What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — a mouthful, so here's the plain version. It's a structured, well-researched therapy that helps your brain finish processing memories that got stuck. Your mind normally files experiences away on its own, but an overwhelming one can jam that process, leaving the memory raw and still loaded with everything you felt at the time. EMDR gets that filing system moving again.
Here's roughly how it works. You bring a stuck memory to mind for short stretches while following some form of bilateral stimulation — eye movements, gentle tapping, or alternating sound, left and right. That back-and-forth seems to let the brain do what it couldn't before: sort the memory, drain the charge out of it, and move it from raw and reactive to simply remembered. So unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn't ask you to rehash the past. It helps you metabolize it. You don't forget what happened — it just stops running your present.
Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR)
When trauma is relational — neglect, betrayal, a parent who couldn't show up the way you needed — standard EMDR can feel too exposing. AF-EMDR builds in imagined safety and an internal support system before reprocessing begins, so the work rests on a scaffolding of care. It's the version I reach for most with complex PTSD and developmental trauma.
EMDR with Psychedelic Integration (PsyA-EMDR)
A psychedelic-assisted experience can crack something open — but an opening isn't the same as lasting change, and without integration even a profound one can fade. For clients in psychedelic-assisted contexts, I use EMDR to metabolize what surfaces and anchor it into durable, embodied change.
This is integration and preparation support; I don't source or administer any substances.
Who I Work With
The people who tend to find EMDR useful share a particular kind of stuckness — they often know a lot about themselves already, and the insight isn’t moving the needle. You may have done years of traditional talk therapy and feel you’ve hit a wall; you understand your patterns and can name your trauma, but none of that knowing has changed how it feels in your body. This approach is specifically designed for those whose nervous system remains stuck in a "loop" it doesn’t know how to exit, even when the mind knows the danger has passed.
After years of talk therapy, people feel they hit a wall.
You understand your patterns, you can name your trauma, and none of that knowing has changed how it feels in your body.
Survivors of single-incident
or acute trauma.
A car accident, an assault, a medical event, a sudden loss — something happened, and the version of you afterward isn’t quite the same.
Adults with unresolved childhood trauma.
Navigating neglect, emotional unavailability, or families where you had to perform to be loved. This is where Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR) provides a scaffolding of care for complex PTSD.
LGBTQ+
individuals.
Much of what LGBTQ+ people carry — internalized messages, the reflex to stay guarded — took shape as protection, not flaw. EMDR helps loosen its hold where talk therapy often falls short.
People with anxiety that hasn’t responded to CBT or medication.
EMDR addresses the root causes of anxiety by targeting the underlying memories and emotional responses. This approach allows for a deeper healing process, as it helps the nervous system recalibrate.
High-functioning professionals, creatives, and performers
These individuals excel professionally but struggle with maintaining a facade of perfection. EMDR helps release underlying stressors, promoting authenticity without fear of judgment.
Psychedelic integration clients.
EMDR pairs well with psychedelic work, helping integrate the material that surfaces in non-ordinary states into something lasting and more impactful than the journey alone can achieve. I am certified in Psychedelic-Assisted EMDR (PsyA-EMDR).
Beyond Trauma: EMDR for Nervous System Regulation
While EMDR is often associated with trauma, its core mechanisms—bilateral stimulation and nervous system regulation—are powerful tools for addressing a much wider range of challenges. I utilize these principles to help you move beyond symptom management and into fundamental nervous system rewiring.
Emotional Regulation
Using bilateral stimulation to help "down-regulate" the nervous system in real-time, providing immediate relief from overwhelming emotional states.
Rewiring OCD Patterns
Targeting the underlying anxiety loops rather than the obsessions themselves, helping your nervous system tolerate uncertainty without relying on compulsive behaviors.
Shifting Negative Self-Talk
By identifying the "inner critic" as a protective part and using EMDR to process the formative memories that created it, we can soften these rigid patterns and build sustainable self-compassion.
Performance & Creative Blocks
Applying the same reprocessing principles to untangle the physiological "bracing" that limits your ability to create, perform, or fully show up in your work and art.
This flexible approach allows us to use the EMDR framework to support your unique needs, whether you're navigating trauma or simply looking to change how you relate to your own internal processes.
For clients working with ketamine in my practice, or integrating experiences from legal psychedelic journeys elsewhere, pairing those altered states with EMDR’s bilateral stimulation can reach content that ordinary consciousness has kept walled off.
We prepare together, work after the medicine, and integrate over time, desensitizing the content that is hard to hold while amplifying the euphoria.
What to Expect
The work is structured but not rigid. Here's the shape it usually takes.
We start with a free 15-minute consultation to see if we're a good fit before you commit to anything.
The first few sessions focus on history and resourcing — building the internal supports you'll draw on during reprocessing. We don't rush the hard material. We build the container first, so the deeper work happens on a stable foundation and with real mutual trust.
When we begin reprocessing, you bring a memory to mind while we do short sets of bilateral stimulation — eye movements, tapping, or alternating sound. Then we pause and notice whatever came up: an image, an emotion, a shift in your body, a thought you didn't expect. We follow where your system goes from there, one set at a time.
You stay in control throughout. If something becomes too much, we slow down or stop and return to your resources — you're never pushed past what you can handle. Some sessions feel like a lot moves, others feel quiet, and both are valid parts of the process.
Sessions are 50 minutes for traditional EMDR, with longer formats available for intensive or psychedelic-integration work.
What EMDR Has
Evidence For
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD
EMDR is endorsed by the World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, and the Department of Veterans Affairs as an effective treatment for both single-incident PTSD and Complex PTSD.
Attachment Wounds and Relational Trauma
EMDR can effectively address attachment wounds and relational trauma by creating a safe space for processing emotions and rebuilding trust. This approach helps individuals heal from past relational trauma and develop healthier connections.
Grief and Complicated Loss
EMDR can assist in navigating the complexities of grief, helping to release emotions that feel trapped and facilitating a healthy grieving process.
Medical Trauma and Chronic Illness
EMDR helps the body process the emotional and physical responses to traumatic medical experiences and chronic illness, aiding in the release of difficult emotions.
Performance Anxiety and Creative Blocks
EMDR can effectively reduce performance anxiety by addressing the underlying fears of judgment or scarcity, thereby removing obstacles to both productivity and creativity.
Questions
Find answers to common questions about EMDR Therapy and how it works.
EMDR sessions are experiential. You’ll focus on a target memory or feeling while the therapist guides bilateral stimulation. Most clients describe it as surprisingly manageable — even memories that have felt overwhelming tend to lose their charge during processing. You stay in control throughout.
No. EMDR doesn’t require detailed verbal recounting. The work happens through the nervous system rather than through the retelling. You may name what we’re targeting, but you don’t need to narrate it.
Talk therapy works primarily through insight and understanding. EMDR works at the neurological level, helping the brain reprocess memories that have been stored in a way that keeps them feeling present and threatening. Many clients find EMDR reaches things that years of talk therapy couldn’t.
It depends on what you’re bringing in. Single-incident trauma often responds in fewer sessions than people expect. Complex or developmental trauma takes longer — not because EMDR is slow, but because we build carefully before we reprocess.
Yes, through Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR), which is specifically designed for trauma that started before you had words for it. AF-EMDR builds in imagined safety and an internal support system before any reprocessing begins.
Yes. I use Zoom for telehealth sessions, which allows bilateral stimulation to be delivered virtually. Telehealth EMDR is available to clients throughout California, New Jersey, Maryland, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Give yourself some buffer time after sessions. Avoid back-to-back high-demand commitments if you can. Processing can continue between sessions, and giving your nervous system space to integrate is part of the work. It is believed that clients are still processing for about 36 hours after a session. So it is critical to keep that in mind when planning how you spend your time after each session.
Take the next step
Book a consultation and take the first step toward reclaiming your life.
