EMDR Therapy
You don't have to keep reliving something for your nervous system to know it happened.
EMDR is a structured trauma therapy that helps the brain process experiences that still feel emotionally or physically present, even when you understand that they're over.
Whether you're dealing with a specific traumatic experience, childhood wounds, relationship injuries, or patterns you understand intellectually but can't seem to change, EMDR can help your system process what it hasn't been able to fully resolve.
What Is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's an evidence-based therapy designed to help the brain process distressing experiences that haven't fully settled into the past.
Rather than repeatedly retelling every detail of what happened, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation while you briefly connect with aspects of an experience.
The goal isn't to erase the memory or convince yourself that something wasn't painful.
The goal is for your brain and body to recognize that what happened then isn't happening now.
EMDR THERAPY TRAINING
Sarah is a fully trained EMDR Therapist and completed her full basic training through The Institute for Creative Mindfulness, an EMDRIA-Approved training program.
You Might Consider EMDR If...
Then something like:
You know why you react the way you do, but knowing hasn't changed the reaction.
Certain memories still feel surprisingly close, even years later.
Your body reacts before your thinking brain has time to catch up.
You find yourself repeating relationship patterns you understand but struggle to interrupt.
You experience triggers, intrusive memories, emotional flashbacks, or intense reactions that feel bigger than the present moment.
You've done meaningful talk therapy and understand your story, but something still feels unresolved.
EMDR Doesn't Have to Mean Diving Straight Into Your Worst Memory.
My EMDR work is paced, relational, and grounded in nervous system regulation.
I don't believe trauma processing should feel like being thrown into the deep end. Before we begin processing, we'll spend time understanding what happens in your system, identifying resources, and making sure you have ways to return to the present when difficult material comes up.
Depending on what we're working on, EMDR may be incorporated into regular therapy or used more intentionally during extended sessions and intensives.
PREPARE
Understand your nervous system, identify resources, and build enough stability to approach difficult material.
PROCESS
Work with memories, beliefs, sensations, and experiences that continue to carry emotional charge.
INTEGRATE
Help your system recognize what has changed and make space for different responses in the present.
Why I Often Use Longer EMDR Sessions
EMDR can technically fit into a traditional therapy hour. That doesn't always mean it should.
Most of my sessions are intentionally 90 minutes because trauma work takes time. I want room for us to settle in, do meaningful processing, and make sure you're grounded before returning to the rest of your day.
Depending on your needs, EMDR can also be incorporated into 60-minute sessions or extended therapy intensives.
Common Questions About EMDR
Will I have to tell you every detail of what happened?
No. One of the things many people appreciate about EMDR is that you don't necessarily have to describe every detail of an experience for processing to occur.
Will EMDR make me feel overwhelmed?
EMDR can bring up difficult emotions, but processing isn't supposed to mean flooding yourself. We pay attention to preparation, pacing, regulation, and your ability to remain connected to the present.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
There isn't one standard number. A single recent event may resolve relatively quickly, while developmental trauma, attachment injuries, or experiences layered across many years often require a longer course of treatment.
What can EMDR be used for besides PTSD?
EMDR can be helpful for more than a single traumatic event or a PTSD diagnosis. I often use EMDR to work with attachment injuries, relational trauma, grief and loss, painful childhood experiences, difficult life transitions, and experiences that continue to shape how you see yourself or respond in relationships.
Sometimes there isn't one obvious “big trauma.” Instead, there may be years of experiences that taught you to stay on guard, overfunction, shut down, people please, fear rejection, or expect certain things from yourself and others. EMDR can help us work with the experiences underneath those patterns, especially when you already understand where they came from but insight alone hasn't changed how they feel.
EMDR + Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
For appropriate clients, EMDR may also be thoughtfully integrated with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP).
Preparation and integration are used to support nervous system regulation, meaning-making, and the therapeutic processing of material that may emerge during ketamine experiences.
KAP requires a separate assessment and preparation process and is recommended only when clinically appropriate.
LEARN ABOUT KETAMINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY
Ready to See If EMDR Might Be a Fit?
A complimentary 15-minute consultation gives us a chance to talk briefly about what you're hoping to work on and whether EMDR, another approach, or a combination of approaches may make sense.