Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy designed to help people heal from distressing experiences, anxiety, and trauma. Instead of focusing only on talking about difficult memories, EMDR helps your brain process and store those experiences in a healthier way — so they no longer feel as distressing, intrusive, or overwhelming in the present.

Through gentle, guided bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, tapping, or sounds), EMDR activates both sides of the brain, allowing your mind and body to reprocess memories and sensations that may be “stuck.” Over time, this process helps reduce emotional intensity and develop new, adaptive beliefs about yourself and your experiences.

How EMDR Can Help

EMDR can be effective for a wide range of concerns, including:

Anxiety and panic
Phobias or fears
Low self-esteem and self-criticism
Performance anxiety (academic, social, or work-related)
Relationship triggers or attachment wounds
Distressing memories or past experiences that still feel “charged”
Trauma or PTSD (including car accidents, bullying, medical trauma, and more)

EMDR helps clients feel calmer, more grounded, and less controlled by the past. It’s not about erasing memories, it’s about transforming how those memories live in your nervous system, helping you move forward with greater peace and self-trust.

What to Expect in EMDR Therapy

Every EMDR process begins with a foundation of safety and stabilization. Before reprocessing begins, we spend time building coping skills, emotional regulation tools, and grounding techniques to ensure you feel supported throughout therapy.

Sessions typically involve identifying a specific memory, image, or belief that still feels distressing, and then engaging in bilateral stimulation while noticing thoughts, emotions, and sensations that arise. As your brain reprocesses the experience, you may begin to feel more distance from the memory and notice a sense of relief, clarity, or calm.

EMDR can be integrated into ongoing therapy or used as a focused approach for specific issues. Each phase is paced around your comfort, readiness, and therapeutic goals.

EMDR for Anxiety and Everyday Stress

While EMDR is widely known for trauma treatment, it’s also highly effective for reducing anxiety, depression, and self-critical thought patterns. Many clients use EMDR to address experiences that don’t meet the definition of “trauma” but still carry emotional weight — such as moments of embarrassment, failure, or rejection that shape how they see themselves.

By reprocessing these experiences, clients often find they respond to stress with more confidence, flexibility, and emotional balance.