EMDR therapy
When the past still feels present.
Sometimes an experience stays with us long after it has ended. Sometimes the distress from a past experience becomes part of our life and who we are. You may understand what happened, yet still notice fear, distress or painful beliefs about yourself showing up in everyday life.
EMDR is a structured therapy that can help people process distressing experiences and reduce their emotional impact.
We'll begin by understanding your experiences, discussing whether EMDR is right for you, and making sure you feel prepared. You won't be expected to share every detail of a painful memory, and we won't rush into processing before you're ready.
Book a free consultation (opens in a new tab)In short
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured psychotherapy approach for traumatic and distressing experiences. The aim is not to erase a memory, but to reduce how strongly it continues to disturb the present. Sessions take place online, by secure video, through Cognizant Psychotherapy.
What does an EMDR session feel like?
EMDR is collaborative rather than something done to you. We move at a pace that feels manageable, and you remain aware and in control throughout the session. We can slow down, pause, or return to preparation whenever needed. EMDR does not require you to tell every detail of an experience.
EMDR is used where it is clinically appropriate, with preparation, your agreement, and within the scope of my training and current supervision. My training in EMDR was performed by an EMDRIA approved EMDR training provider.
How do we know whether EMDR is right for me?
People who understand what happened intellectually, but still feel activated by it. Certain memories, situations, relationships, losses or experiences may continue to trigger anxiety, shame, fear, grief or a sense of being stuck.
You do not need a formal PTSD diagnosis to explore whether EMDR may be appropriate.
What can EMDR help with?
- Traumatic or distressing experiences. Events or periods of life that still intrude on the present.
- Difficult childhood experiences. Earlier relationships and environments that continue to shape how you see yourself and others.
- Loss and grief. Bereavement, and losses that stay vivid long after others expect them to have faded.
- Relationship experiences. Betrayal, rupture or painful dynamics that keep echoing in current relationships.
- Medical and reproductive experiences. Illness, procedures, infertility and perinatal loss, or experiences around pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period.
- Performance and professional setbacks. Failure, public mistakes or career ruptures that still carry a charge.
- Persistent shame or negative beliefs. A conviction about yourself that feels true even when you know it may not be.
- Anxiety or fear tied to particular memories or situations. Reactions that seem out of proportion until they are traced back.
How EMDR works
EMDR follows a structured eight-phase process. These are eight phases of treatment, not eight individual sessions.
For those who'd like to understand the EMDR process
- 1. History taking and treatment planning. Understanding what is happening now, the relevant history, and what we may want to work on.
- 2. Preparation. Explaining the process and establishing grounding and emotional-regulation resources before any reprocessing begins.
- 3. Assessment. Identifying the memory or experience we are targeting, with the thoughts, emotions, beliefs and physical sensations connected to it.
- 4. Desensitization. Processing the experience with bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or tapping.
- 5. Installation. Strengthening a more adaptive belief or perspective.
- 6. Body scan. Noticing whether distress connected with the experience remains in the body.
- 7. Closure. Ending each session grounded and back in the present, whether or not processing is complete.
- 8. Reevaluation. Reviewing what has changed and deciding what, if anything, still needs attention.
Common questions about emdr therapy
What does EMDR therapy aim to do?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a psychotherapy approach used to work with traumatic and distressing experiences. The goal is not to erase memories, but to reduce how strongly they continue to disturb the present.
How long does EMDR take?
Focused EMDR treatment might take between 6 and 10 sessions, but there is no guaranteed or predetermined duration. More complex or longstanding experiences may require additional preparation and treatment. We review progress together rather than working toward an arbitrary session number, and I do not promise a particular outcome or timeline.
Is EMDR right for me?
It may be worth exploring when a particular experience or group of experiences still carries significant emotional charge, when present-day reactions seem disproportionate but make sense in the context of earlier experiences, when insight alone has not changed the emotional reaction, or when you are looking for a more focused trauma-processing approach. EMDR is not automatically the best starting point for everyone, and sufficient stability, coping resources and safety are considered before reprocessing.
Do I need to know whether EMDR is right for me before reaching out?
No. We can start by talking about what you would like to work on, what you hope might change, and whether EMDR, or another therapeutic approach, fits what you need.