Eye movement desensitization & reprocessing (eMDR) THERAPY
use your brain’s natural capacity to heal from trauma
when the nervous system can’t take it anymore
Sometimes an experience happens that shakes up our hold on reality. We moved through the world one way, and in the next, we are changed. We carry the experience without comprehension. Instead, what reverberates is an alarm system stuck on blast. A clenched stomach. A held breath. A bracing for impact. As if it’s still happening.
If your body resonates with this description, then EMDR therapy might be for you.
the meaning we make from trauma
Trauma is anything that disrupts our sense of who we are and how we view the world. This can include experiences of abuse, assault, car accidents, war, natural disasters, and death.
Trauma can also occur when the parts that make us feel most alive, precious, and human are dismissed, punished, rejected, or humiliated.
Trauma is less about what happened, and more about the meaning we make from what happened. It’s the moment we internalize: I am not safe. It was my fault. I am unworthy. I am alone.
When trauma occurs, our brains are unable to fully process the experience. It was too much too soon. The original images, sensations, thoughts, and feelings associated with the event get stuck in the brain. This is why it can feel like we’re right back in that moment, over and over again.
Instead of having a cohesive story that helps us make sense of what happened to us, we feel unanchored and disorganized. EMDR therapy can help.
HOW DOES EMDR THERAPY WORK?
During EMDR, the eyes move back and forth laterally, following a pace that makes sense for you and your nervous system. I use an online program that facilitates this bilateral stimulation. You can follow a dot with your eyes or listen to alternating audio tones (with headphones).
Bilateral movement stimulates our natural processing abilities, such as during REM sleep when our eyes naturally move from side to side. We restart the brain’s innate ability to self-heal, which was disrupted when the trauma occurred. The stuck memory moves from one part of the brain to another.
What emerges is a meaningful narrative about what happened that gently settles into its place in the past. You move from I am not safe and relax into I am in control. I am beyond repair becomes I am worthy of healing.
Your brain does all the work. My role as your therapist is to be with you on the journey and provide direction through the process.
“THE KEY TO HEALING IS NOT JUST KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED BUT TRANSFORMING HOW THE MIND, BODY AND SOUL STILL REMEMBER IT. ”
Janina Fisher
trauma takes many forms
i integrate emdr into my practice for:
PTSD and C-PTSD, including
Physical abuse and assault
Sexual abuse and assault
Emotional abuse
Relational trauma
Bullying
Shame
Grief and loss
Panic attacks
Phobias
Stubborn negative beliefs that contribute to depression or anxiety (e.g., I am not good enough, I am a burden)
Distressing reactions to chronic pain and illness, such as fear, anger, dissociation, and avoidance
reclaim your identity and power
emdr can offer the gift of:
Being able to tell a cohesive, meaningful story of trauma and resilience
Reprieve from symptoms of PTSD (flashbacks, nightmares, startle response, hypervigilance, emotion dysregulation)
Increased capacity to move through difficult emotions
Reclaimed sense of ease and safety in the body
Relief from bodily tension, pain, tightness
Freedom from harmful stories about yourself
Increased self-compassion and reduced self-blame about what happened to you
EDMR THERAPY: faqs
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Our brain has a natural capacity for healing from trauma, so long as we have the necessary elements in place. This is the same way that our bodies naturally move toward healing.
When we have a scrape on our knee, our bodies intrinsically work to heal it. If, however, there’s sand in the wound, we have to remove the sand first to allow the body to do what it needs to do.
Similarly with EMDR, we identify and remove blocks in the brain’s neural networks to resume self-healing.
People who undergo EMDR treatment tend to report feeling lighter, freer, and significantly less impacted by the trauma they experienced, almost as if they are looking at it from a far away distance.
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EMDR therapy is a consent-based model, in that
1) there needs to be significant trust in the therapeutic relationship to do trauma healing work, and
2) protective parts or defensive coping mechanisms need to agree to move toward the trauma. In terms of the latter, if there is not that agreement, then we spend time building that trust. Moving forward without the consent of these parts can re-traumatize the nervous system.
With EMDR, we do assume that there is going to be some activation. This activation signals us to what parts of you are trying to heal. However, with EMDR, you do not have to share all of the details of the traumatic event with me in order to feel the healing effects of the therapy. You get to decide how much to share depending on what feels right for you. This will not negatively impact your ability to process; in fact, for some people, it might allow you to go farther in processing.
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If you feel restricted, confined, or distressed by emotional memories of the past, then EMDR could be a good fit for you. The first phase of EMDR is preparation, in that we spend a considerable amount of time making sure that you feel well-resourced to tolerate potentially difficult emotions without dissociating or re-living the trauma.
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Some clients only want to do EMDR, whereas some want to integrate it with talk therapy. We can discuss what works best for you.
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We start with a comprehensive historical overview of what brought you to this current moment. This allows us to identify pivotal moments that impact the way you currently understand yourself and the trauma.
During this assessment, I help you identify the major themes that emerged from how your brain processes the trauma. Some examples of themes are:
I am not safe
It was my fault
I am unworthy
We spend ample time making sure you feel fully resourced and safe before we begin to reprocess the trauma. This is a collaborative process. We will also test out which bilateral stimulation method works for you, as some people do better with eye movements, whereas others prefer tapping or alternating audio (using headphones).
Afterward, we will create a loose “flight plan,” where we map out the different trauma memories or events to explore, triggers, and/or persistent negative beliefs about yourself. This gives us some direction about where to start and where we are headed.
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Some clients want to continue reprocessing during every session, whereas others want to intersperse processing with other sessions that look more like traditional talk therapy or IFS sessions. EMDR is flexible, so it’s not necessary to do it every time we meet.
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The fee is the same for a 50-minute session ($210). This is the case because we might not do EMDR during every session. However, there might be times that we choose to meet for 75 minutes, as EMDR sessions tend to move quickly. In these instances, we will coordinate times to meet for a longer session, which may be different from our usual appointment time. 75-minute sessions are $260.
EMDR, SOMATIC therapy, & IFS therapy
I was trained to practice EMDR with a somatic focus. As such, we do not necessarily need to start EMDR with a specific trauma memory or event. We can begin by focusing on a familiar bodily sensation that carries a significant level of distress. Some examples are chronic back pain, areas of numbness, chest tightness, and headaches. I also incorporate my IFS training into EMDR therapy. All three modalities work beautifully together to offer a comprehensive approach to healing.
