Individual Therapy · EMDR · Adults
One of the most extensively researched trauma therapies in existence. When it's done well — with a trained, experienced therapist — it can shift things that years of talk therapy couldn't touch.
There's a lot of noise about EMDR right now. Let's cut through it. Here's what it actually is, who it's actually for, and what it actually looks like to do this work together.
What It Is
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess stuck memories. When something traumatic happens, the brain can store that experience in a fragmented, unintegrated way. EMDR helps complete that processing.
Think of it like this: your brain is a filing system. Traumatic experiences don't always get filed correctly — they stay "live," still loaded with the original emotion, body sensation, and belief from the moment they happened. That's why a smell or tone of voice can put you right back there. EMDR goes to where those experiences are stored and helps the brain actually finish the job.
It uses bilateral stimulation — typically eye movements, taps, or tones — to activate both hemispheres of the brain while you hold a difficult memory in mind. This isn't mysterious. It's neurologically grounded work that changes how your nervous system holds an experience.
The Process
We don't jump straight into processing. First, we build the foundation — understanding your history, what's bringing you here, and making sure you have the tools to stay regulated when things get activated. You don't have to arrive knowing what to say or how to explain it. The first thing we build is safety — including the safety to not have it figured out. This isn't just paperwork. It's doing the groundwork that makes the deeper work possible.
Once we're ready, we identify specific memories, beliefs, and experiences to work with. Then we move into active processing using bilateral stimulation. You don't have to narrate everything in detail — your brain does the reprocessing. My job is to keep you present, safe, and moving through it.
Processing doesn't end in session. Between sessions, your brain continues to integrate. You might notice things shifting — dreams, insights, old reactions that don't fire the same way. We track what's changing, continue to build on the work, and eventually get you to a place where you're not just coping. You're different.
"EMDR doesn't erase what happened. It changes how your nervous system holds it — so it becomes a memory you have, not a state you keep living in."— Alyssa Davis, LMFT
Is this for you?
You understand why you react the way you do. You've processed it in every direction. And yet — the reaction still happens. The anxiety is still there. The pattern keeps repeating. That's the layer EMDR is designed to reach.
You get disproportionately activated. A comment hits wrong and you're somewhere else entirely. Your body responds before your brain catches up. These are signs that the nervous system is holding something that hasn't been fully processed yet.
The wound isn't a single incident. It's the accumulation — growing up with a parent who couldn't show up, relationships that repeated the same painful dynamic, the quiet erosion of feeling like something is fundamentally wrong with you. EMDR works here, too.
You're not looking for just coping skills or just a space to vent. You want to actually change how you move through the world. You're done just weathering it — you're ready to change the climate. And you want a therapist who will take you there.
Common Questions
No. EMDR doesn't require you to narrate the story in graphic detail. You hold the memory in mind while we work — but you don't have to talk through every piece of it. This is one of the reasons EMDR can reach things that talk therapy doesn't. It works at the level of the nervous system, not just the narrative.
It depends on what we're working on and how complex your history is. A single-incident trauma — like one specific event — can sometimes shift in a handful of sessions. Developmental or relational trauma, which is more layered and pervasive, typically takes longer. I don't give timelines on the front end because they're not honest. What I can tell you is that we track progress and you'll know when things are moving.
It can be. Processing means that things come up. There's a reason we spend time on preparation before we go there — you need to have the tools to stay regulated when difficult material surfaces. I take this seriously. We move at a pace that's challenging but not destabilizing, and I'm tracking your window of tolerance throughout.
Yes. For some people, extended sessions or intensive formats work better than weekly 50-minute sessions — particularly when you're trying to move through something specific in a shorter window. Reach out and we can talk through whether that's a fit for what you're coming in with.
A free 20-minute consultation is the first step. We'll talk about what you're coming in with and whether this is the right fit.
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