EMDR therapy is a powerful and effective evidence-based treatment that can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including trauma, stress related conditions, anxiety, phobias, depression, limiting beliefs about oneself, and more. EMDR helps your mind and body reprocess the memory of past experiences so they are no longer linked to the fight-flight-freeze response from the past. This results in you being able to think about what happened or be around things that remind you of that experience without feeling your body hijacked by negative emotions and thoughts. Benefits of EMDR are that it is highly effective, often more efficient than talk therapy, and does not require that you talk in detail about traumatic experiences.

Just like the body, the brain has its own natural mechanisms for healing from difficult events. For instance, a small cut on the skin naturally repairs itself without intervention. However, things can also interfere with these natural healing processes. Trauma and stressful experiences can overwhelm the brain’s ability to integrate the learning from what happened and store the memory in the past. Instead, the memory is fragmented and stored right along with the emotions and the fight/ flight/ freeze response that happened at the time. When things in the present “trigger” that memory, the person feels the emotions and stress response from before as if it is happening now. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (for instance, moving eyes back and forth or tapping alternating sides of the body) to unblock the natural healing system so the memory can be reprocessed – the person remembers the experience, but the fight/ flight/ freeze response, along with any negative beliefs about oneself that were stored at the time (“it’s my fault,” “I’m bad,” etc) are resolved.

Initial therapy sessions are a chance for us to get to know each other and for me to learn about who you are: your goals and needs, the history around your current problems, AND who you are as a whole person, including beyond your difficulties. I often begin EMDR therapy by teaching you tools to understand and begin to regulate your body and nervous system so you can start feeling more in control. Because every person is unique, sessions are customized to each person’s needs. I fully believe the most important thing in therapy is the relationship you have with your therapist, and my therapeutic style is collaborative, open, and non-judgmental. I will work with you to help you figure out what session structure and approach is most helpful and effective for you.

See the video at the bottom of this page for an overview of how EMDR works and what reprocessing sessions are like, or visit www.emdria.org for more information.

My approach to therapy is focused on your individual needs, so how long you need to be in therapy will be specific to you. When we first start to work together, we will clarify your goals and identify the benchmarks that will let you know when you will be ready to end. My hope is to help you reach your goals, AND to find relief and make changes throughout the process of working towards them. Some will reach their initial goals and feel ready to end treatment, and others will discover new goals that they want to continue working towards.

Generally speaking, trauma that occurred one time can be shorter to treat, while more complex trauma that happened many times, while someone was a child, or by a trusted person takes longer. Each person’s treatment is unique - what’s most important to me is that you get what YOU need.

Reach out to schedule a free initial 15 minute consultation. During that call, we will talk briefly about what is going on for you and what you’re needing help with. I will also ask you about any past experiences of therapy so that I can learn what has or has not worked for you before. I will also talk more about how I work and answer any questions you have to make sure we are a good fit. If so, we will schedule our first session and discuss any logistics you need to know in advance.