What is EMDR therapy, and how can it help?

If you’re carrying the weight of trauma, burnout, chronic stress, or difficult life experiences, you may have heard of EMDR therapy and wondered what it actually is and if it could be a helpful option for you. Many of my clients come to me feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stuck in patterns. If you’ve tried talk therapy and feel like you haven’t made the progress you wanted, are still noticing symptoms of PTSD, or you want to try a different approach in therapy, EMDR may be worth considering.

What Exactly Is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a trauma-focused therapy that helps your brain and nervous system process painful, traumatic or overwhelming experiences without having to retell them in detail.

Instead of talking through every moment of the past, EMDR works by helping the brain do what it naturally knows how to do: heal.

When trauma or chronic stress overwhelms your system, the brain can’t fully process the experience. EMDR helps untangle those memories so they can be stored in a healthier and more adaptive way. Clients often describe EMDR as “lighter,” “faster,” or “different from any therapy I’ve done before.”

How EMDR Works

EMDR uses a technique called bilateral stimulation to activate both sides of the brain while you revisit distressing memories or sensations at a pace that feels safe. Bilateral stimulation can include following a visual cue while moving your eyes back and forth, holding tappers that vibrate between both hands, or auditory sounds that switch between each ear, to name a few.

This process helps you:

• Reduce emotional intensity around difficult memories

• Shift patterns of fear, guilt, shame, anxiety, or hypervigilance

• Reduce body sensations associated with the trauma

• Feel less stuck in old survival responses

• Strengthen a sense of safety, balance, and resilience

  EMDR is not hypnosis.
  It does not erase your memories and experiences.
  It is not a memory retrieval tool to discover repressed memories.

  
  EMDR supports your nervous system to complete the healing process it never had the chance to finish.

What to Expect in EMDR Sessions

Many clients worry that EMDR will be overwhelming. My approach is always gentle, collaborative, and paced around your comfort level.
Here’s what the process typically looks like:

1. We build safety first

We focus on grounding skills, nervous-system regulation, and understanding how trauma affects your mind and body. You won’t be asked to dive into anything before you’re ready.

2. We identify what needs untangled

This may include memories, beliefs about yourself (“I’m not safe,” “I’m not enough”), or body sensations connected to past experiences.

3. We begin reprocessing

Using bilateral stimulation, your brain begins making new connections, eventually reducing your symptoms and shifting how you feel in your daily life.

4. We strengthen new patterns

As old survival responses lose power, we reinforce feelings of safety, confidence, and self-trust. Clients tend to feel more grounded, regulated, and connected to themselves when we complete the process.

Who Can Benefit From EMDR?

EMDR can be effective for:

• Trauma & PTSD

• Medical trauma

• Childhood or relational trauma

• Panic attacks and phobias

• Anxiety & hypervigilance

• Chronic illness or chronic pain

• Emotional overwhelm

• Nervous system dysregulation

It’s also incredibly helpful for medical professionals, who often carry years of unprocessed stress, grief, and secondary trauma from their work.

Why EMDR Helps When Traditional Talk Therapy Hasn't

Because of the mind-body connection, trauma isn’t just stored in your thoughts. It’s also stored in the body and nervous system.
EMDR works directly with the body and nervous system to rework these deeper patterns, helping you feel calmer, safer, more grounded, and more connected to yourself.

Many clients report benefits including:

• Fewer triggers

• Improved emotional regulation

• Increased confidence

• Better sleep

• More self-compassion and confidence

• Relief from chronic physical tension and other physical symptoms

• Feeling present and more like themselves again

If you’ve ever wondered whether healing is possible, EMDR can be a powerful reminder that your brain can change and heal, and you don’t have to carry your pain alone.

If You’re Ready for a Different Kind of Healing

If you’re curious about EMDR or want support moving through trauma, chronic illness, or anxiety, I’d love to help you explore whether this approach is right for you.

✨ You deserve healing that gets to the root, rather than just the surface.
Schedule a consultation here, and we can talk more about whether you are a candidate and what this process could look like for you.