EMDR Therapy in California
Sometimes you can understand exactly why you feel or react the way you do and still find yourself having the same reactions.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a trauma therapy that can help the brain process experiences that continue to feel unresolved. I use EMDR with adults and adolescents throughout California who are dealing with the effects of trauma, anxiety, grief, difficult relationships, and experiences that have shaped how they feel about themselves.
When the past still feels present
Difficult experiences don’t always remain in the past simply because they are over.
You may know that you’re safe now and still feel anxious or on guard. You may understand that you weren’t responsible for what happened and still feel ashamed. You may recognize where a relationship pattern came from and continue repeating it. Or you may know there’s nothing wrong with you and still have a deeply rooted sense that somehow there is.
EMDR can help address the gap between what you know and what you continue to feel.
How EMDR works
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, usually eye movements or alternating tapping, while working with memories, emotions, beliefs, and physical sensations connected to difficult experiences.
Rather than simply talking about an experience and trying to think about it differently, EMDR helps you work with the emotional, physical, and cognitive responses that continue to be connected to it.
Over time, something that once felt immediate or overwhelming can begin to feel more clearly like something that happened in the past. The goal isn’t to erase the memory or convince yourself that it didn’t matter. It’s for the memory to have less power over how you feel and respond in the present.
What can EMDR help with?
I primarily use EMDR in my work with:
Trauma and PTSD
Developmental and relational trauma, including childhood abuse and emotional neglect
Sexual trauma
Anxiety, panic, and persistent fears
Grief and significant loss
Difficult or painful relationship patterns
Beliefs such as There’s something wrong with me. I’m not good enough. I’m unlovable. I can’t trust anyone. I’m not safe.
Sometimes there is a particular experience you know you want to work on. Other times, there may not be one obvious event. The work can involve experiences that accumulated over time and gradually shaped what you came to expect from yourself, other people, or the world.
What EMDR with me is like
I’m a Certified EMDR Therapist and have been using EMDR in my clinical work for more than a decade.
I don’t approach EMDR the same way with every person. We begin by understanding what is bringing you to therapy, what you want to change, and what you may need in order to feel prepared for the work.
EMDR is collaborative, and we can slow down, pause, talk, or change direction when needed. You remain aware and in control throughout the process.
Depending on what is most helpful for you, I may also integrate Havening Techniques® and other trauma-focused approaches into our work. The method matters, but so does having enough safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship to do meaningful work.
You don’t have to tell every detail
One thing people are sometimes relieved to learn about EMDR is that it does not necessarily require describing every detail of a difficult or traumatic experience out loud.
We need enough information to understand what we’re working on, but much of the processing happens internally. For some people, this makes it possible to work with experiences that have been difficult to discuss extensively in traditional talk therapy.
Is EMDR right for you?
EMDR may be worth considering when you understand why you feel the way you do, but that understanding hasn’t been enough to change it.
It can also be useful when something from the past continues to carry more emotional intensity than you would expect, or when you find yourself reacting in the present as though some part of you is still responding to what happened before.
EMDR isn’t the right approach for every person or every problem. Part of my work is helping determine whether it makes sense for you and, if it does, how to approach it in a way that fits what you need.
Interested in EMDR therapy?
I provide virtual EMDR and trauma therapy to adults and adolescents throughout California.
If something you’ve read here feels familiar, the best way to see whether EMDR might be helpful, and whether we might work well together, is to talk. I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation where we can discuss what you’re looking for, what has and hasn’t helped before, and any questions you have about EMDR.