EMDR Therapy & Intensives

Understanding EMDR Therapy for Trauma: How It Works and Why It Helps

Trauma can leave deep emotional imprints that affect how we think, feel, and relate to the world around us. For many, traditional talk therapy helps—but for others, healing requires a different approach. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a well-researched, evidence-based treatment that has helped millions of people recover from trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to briefly focus on the traumatic memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the memory. Developed in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro, EMDR was initially used to treat PTSD, but it is now effectively used for a wide range of mental health concerns, including:

  • Childhood trauma

  • Grief and loss

  • Anxiety and panic disorders

  • Depression

  • Phobias

  • Complex trauma and dissociation

How Does EMDR Work?

Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR does not require detailed discussion of the traumatic event. Instead, it focuses on changing the way the traumatic memories are stored in the brain. EMDR uses a unique eight-phase approach that includes:

  1. History-taking and treatment planning

  2. Preparation and education

  3. Assessment of the memory

  4. Desensitization using bilateral stimulation

  5. Installation of positive beliefs

  6. Body scan to identify residual physical distress

  7. Closure

  8. Re-evaluation

Through this process, EMDR helps reduce the emotional charge of distressing memories, allowing individuals to integrate these experiences in a healthier way.

Who Can Benefit from EMDR?

EMDR is recommended for individuals who have experienced traumatic or overwhelming life events. It can be particularly helpful for individuals who:

  • Feel stuck in talk therapy

  • Struggle with flashbacks or nightmares

  • Experience emotional numbness or heightened anxiety

  • Have unresolved trauma from childhood or recent life events

A Path Toward Healing

If trauma has been holding you back, EMDR therapy may offer the relief and resolution you’ve been looking for. You don’t have to keep reliving the past—healing is possible.

Rachel offers EMDR in 60 minute sessions or in Intensives that are 90 minute to 2 hour sessions. 

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