EMDR Therapy

In-person in San Jose and virtually throughout California

We are all shaped by our experiences.

Sometimes experiences leave behind patterns of thinking, feeling, or reacting that no longer serve us. EMDR helps shift these “stuck” responses, so that change can truly be felt.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy originally developed for trauma and PTSD. Research also indicates EMDR to be effective for processing other overwhelming or stressful experiences including anxiety, grief, and experiences we may not think of as “traumatic,” but that continue to affect us. In EMDR short sets of back and forth eye movements are used to promote the brain’s natural processing. It is an alternative to talk therapy and often a great option for individuals who have not found the change they are seeking from talk therapy alone.

EMDR Therapy for Trauma

Trauma can make it feel like our past is still living in our present.

You may experience intrusive memories, triggers, limiting beliefs, or ongoing states of anxiety, stress, or hypervigilance.

You may have found that emotion states or ways of feeling about yourself have stuck around from your childhood.

After EMDR processing, clients often find that traumatic experiences feel more in the past, less charged, and integrated in a more adaptive way to where they don’t hold the same harmful meaning or impact on the nervous system.

Experiences that clients may process in EMDR include:

• Childhood abuse

• Childhood attachment wounds such as emotional abandonment, a critical or unpredictable parent

• Emotional abuse or bullying

• Experiences of abuse or assault

• Accidents or disasters such as car accidents or fires

• Grief and loss

• Stressful significant life events or changes

EMDR Therapy for Anxiety

Are you ready to address anxiety at its roots?

The goal in EMDR isn’t just to manage anxiety when it appears, but to address it at its roots by processing past experiences and beliefs that contribute to anxiety and to shift out of chronic dysregulated nervous system states.

You may experience anxious thoughts that feel hard to quiet or physical sensations like body tension, a racing heart, and feeling like you can't get in a full breath of air.

EMDR can be used for:

• Generalized anxiety

• Social anxiety

• Specific fears or phobias

• Panic attacks

What happens in EMDR therapy sessions?

The first several sessions of EMDR are preparation for reprocessing and include assessment, exploring what past experiences are at the roots of your current challenges, and working on resources which are techniques and internal strengths that may help you through reprocessing.

After preparation work, reprocessing sessions begin. In reprocessing sessions you will be guided through short sets of back and forth eye movements called bilateral stimulation, or alternatives like back and forth tapping. During these sets you are focusing on the past experiences, beliefs, or triggers you are working on processing. Between sets are brief check ins on what is going on internally and the therapist incorporates techniques for aiding processing forward in adaptive ways as needed.

If you are interested in more information or exploring your start to EMDR therapy you can schedule a call with me below.