EMDR therapy
A structured way to help your brain process difficult memories so they stop feeling like they're happening now.
What it is
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a well-researched treatment for trauma and anxiety. Some memories stay "stuck," so that a sound, a place or a feeling can bring back the fear and body sensations of the original event as if it were happening now. EMDR helps your brain finish processing those memories, so they feel like the past instead of the present.
EMDR works on three things: the distressing experiences themselves, the present-day situations that set off the old reactions, and the skills and beliefs you need going forward. You don't have to describe every detail of what happened, which many people find a relief.
Why people choose EMDR
- You don't have to retell your story in detail
- It can help with recent and long-ago experiences
- It targets the body's reactions as well as the thoughts
- It can help with single events and with longer stretches of hard experiences
What sessions look like
EMDR follows a set sequence. Your therapist first learns your history and helps you build skills for staying grounded, so you have ways to settle yourself before any memory work begins. Then, while you briefly focus on a memory, you'll follow side-to-side eye movements or use another form of back-and-forth stimulation, such as tapping or tones.
Over sessions, the memory usually becomes less upsetting and more helpful beliefs about yourself take hold, such as "I survived" or "It wasn't my fault." Your therapist checks in throughout, and you can pause at any time. EMDR can be done in person or by telehealth.
You don't need to pick an approach
If you have a preference, mention it when you request an appointment and we'll match you with a clinician who uses it. Every person responds to different things, so your clinician may combine approaches, with or without medication.
