Your nervous system remembers things your mind has tried to forget.
EMDR helps you process what got stuck — not by talking around it, but by working directly with how your brain stores distressing experiences. It's one of the most thoroughly researched treatments for trauma, and it works faster than most people expect.
EMDR isn't about rehashing the past. It's about freeing yourself from it.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — EMDR — is an evidence-based therapy developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It's now endorsed by the World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, and the Department of Veterans Affairs as a first-line treatment for trauma and PTSD.
The core idea: traumatic memories don't always get filed away cleanly. They stay raw and activated — which is why a smell, a tone of voice, or a familiar situation can suddenly drop you right back into how you felt years ago. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements, or tapping) to help the brain finish processing those memories, so they lose their emotional charge. The event doesn't disappear. It just stops running the show.
In my practice, I integrate EMDR with mindfulness and somatic awareness. We don't jump straight in. We build resources, establish safety, and work at a pace that feels manageable — not overwhelming.
EMDR is for more than classic trauma.
Most people associate EMDR with PTSD or single-incident trauma — a car accident, an assault, a loss. And yes, it's highly effective there. But it also reaches into subtler terrain:
- Childhood wounds — emotional neglect, harsh criticism, early attachment disruption
- Anxiety and panic that doesn't respond to talk therapy or CBT alone
- Relationship patterns you've tried to understand but can't seem to change
- Grief that feels frozen or unresolved
- Performance anxiety, perfectionism, and self-worth struggles
- Intrusive thoughts or memories that surface without warning
- Vicarious trauma — common in first responders, healthcare workers, and caregivers
If you've done therapy before and felt like you understood your patterns but they didn't shift, EMDR often reaches the layer underneath the insight.
A note on Veterans: I work with Veterans through SonderMind and the VA Community Care program. If you've been referred for community care therapy, I can receive VA authorizations for 60-minute individual sessions. Reach out and we'll sort out the logistics together.
The eight phases of EMDR — at a pace that's right for you.
EMDR is a structured protocol, not a free-form process. Here's how it unfolds:
History & treatment planning
We get to know your history, identify targets for processing, and map out where we're headed together.
Preparation
We build your internal resources — a calm place, stabilization tools, and the capacity to tolerate what comes up without being flooded by it.
Assessment
We identify the specific memory or experience to target, along with the negative belief it left behind and the positive belief you want to move toward.
Desensitization, installation & body scan
This is the processing itself — using bilateral stimulation while you hold the memory in mind. Distress decreases; the positive belief strengthens. A body scan confirms the work has settled.
Closure & reevaluation
Each session closes with stabilization. At the next session, we check what's shifted and what still needs attention.
The number of sessions varies considerably. Some focused traumas can move in 6–12 sessions. Complex or developmental trauma usually takes longer. We'll talk honestly about what to expect for your specific situation.
What people ask before they start.
One of EMDR's distinctive features is that you don't have to narrate everything in detail. You hold the memory in mind while we work — but you don't have to give me a full account of what happened. This makes it accessible for people who've found talking about trauma re-traumatizing, or who struggle to put difficult experiences into words.
EMDR sessions are billed as standard psychotherapy and covered by most major insurance plans when medically necessary. I'm currently paneled with Anthem BCBS Virginia and see Veterans through SonderMind/VA Community Care. See the Fees & Insurance page for full details.
In-person, I typically use hand-held tappers or guide your eye movements with my hand. It's not dramatic — most people describe it as a gentle, rhythmic sensation that helps their mind move through material rather than getting stuck on it. We'll do a short practice run so nothing feels surprising.
Processing can bring up emotion — that's often what healing looks like. But we don't go there until you have the internal resources to handle it. The preparation phase exists precisely for this reason. And I'll always follow your pace, not a predetermined timeline.
Yes, and I frequently do this. In my practice, EMDR is integrated with mindfulness, CBT, and inner child work depending on what a client needs. EMDR is a powerful tool, but it works best as part of a whole approach to healing — not an isolated technique.
Ready to find out if EMDR is right for you?
I offer a free initial consultation. We'll talk through what you're carrying and whether EMDR makes sense for where you are right now.
Get in touch