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When you understand what happened, but still feel affected by it.
Sometimes you can know, logically, that you are safe now. You may understand where a pattern began, recognize that something wasn’t your fault, or have spent years trying to move forward. And yet, your body or emotions may still respond as though the past is happening in the present.
You might notice that certain experiences trigger intense anxiety, shame, fear or self-doubt. Perhaps you feel stuck in familiar relationship patterns, become overwhelmed by conflict, or carry beliefs such as “I’m not good enough,” “I’m too much,” or “I have to handle everything on my own.”
EMDR therapy can help us work with experiences that feel unresolved—not only by talking about them, but by supporting your brain and nervous system in processing what has remained stuck.
Read on to learn a bit more about how this approach may support you...
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a structured form of therapy designed to help people process distressing experiences, memories and beliefs that continue to affect how they feel in the present.
When something overwhelming happens, your brain may not fully process the experience in the way it normally would. Pieces of the experience—including emotions, body sensations, images and beliefs about yourself—can remain connected to the original distress.
This may mean that something happening today activates a much older feeling, even when part of you knows the current situation is different.
During EMDR, we identify the experiences, beliefs and patterns connected to what is troubling you now. Bilateral stimulation - often guided eye movements or alternating tapping - is then used to support the brain’s natural processing system.
The goal is not to erase what happened or convince you that it didn’t matter. Instead, EMDR can help the memory feel more like something that happened in the past, rather than something your mind and body are still reliving in the present.
What can EMDR help with?
EMDR may be helpful for people experiencing:
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Trauma or distressing past experiences
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Anxiety, fear or panic
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Shame and low self-worth
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Painful relationship experiences or attachment wounds
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Difficult childhood experiences
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Grief and loss
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Distressing memories or images
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Strong emotional or physical reactions to particular triggers
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Negative beliefs such as “I’m unsafe,” “I’m powerless,” or “I’m not enough”
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Patterns that make sense intellectually but still feel difficult to change
You do not need to identify with the word “trauma” or have one specific life-changing event to benefit from this work. Sometimes it is a collection of experiences—feeling unseen, criticized, rejected, unsafe or responsible for other people—that continues to shape how you relate to yourself and others.
My approach to EMDR
A collaborative, attachment-based approach to EMDR
EMDR is not something that is done to you.
Our relationship, your sense of safety and your ability to make choices throughout the process all matter.
I integrate EMDR with attachment-based, trauma-informed and parts-informed therapy, recognizing that different parts of you may have different feelings about approaching painful experiences.
A part of you may want relief, while another part is afraid of becoming overwhelmed or letting go of strategies that once helped you survive. Rather than pushing past that hesitation, we can become curious about it and listen to what it needs.
The goal is not to force you to revisit something before you are ready. Our work is collaborative, and we can slow down, pause or return to preparation whenever needed.
