EMDR
"We have a natural healing system that, when accessed … can restore us to balance.”
- Laurel Parnell, PhD
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My approach to EMDR
I use EMDR as part of ongoing psychotherapy, integrating it with conversation, reflection, and the broader work we are doing together. I do not offer stand-alone EMDR sessions or one-time intensives.
What is EMDR?
EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - is a form of psychotherapy that helps people work through painful or overwhelming experiences that continue to affect them.
During EMDR, you briefly focus on a troubling memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, alternating sounds, or tapping. This can reduce the memory’s emotional intensity and help you understand it in a new, more manageable way.
The experience is not erased. Instead, it begins to feel rooted in the past rather than like something you are still reliving.
How does EMDR work?
Most experiences are naturally processed and integrated over time. But when something is traumatic or overwhelming, the memory can remain connected to the emotions, physical sensations, and beliefs you experienced when it happened.
As a result, something in the present may trigger a reaction that feels much larger than the moment itself.
EMDR helps you revisit and process these experiences while remaining grounded in the present. Over time, the memory may become less distressing, negative beliefs may shift, and triggers may lose some of their power.
What can EMDR be used for?
EMDR is best known - and most extensively researched—as a treatment for trauma and posttraumatic stress. Trauma does not always come from one obvious event. It can also develop through repeated experiences of rejection, instability, abuse, shame, discrimination, or feeling unsafe.
EMDR may be helpful when the past continues to affect how you feel about yourself, relate to others, or respond to situations today. It may also be used as part of treatment for anxiety, panic, grief, phobias, low self-worth, and distress connected to painful experiences.
Whether EMDR is appropriate depends on your history, current needs, and treatment goals. We will consider that together.
What can I expect?
EMDR begins with conversation and preparation. We will explore your history, identify what you would like to change, and develop ways to help you stay grounded before processing difficult experiences.
During EMDR, you remain awake, aware, and in control. It is not hypnosis. You do not have to describe every detail aloud, and you can pause or stop at any time.
I will guide the process while paying close attention to your responses. EMDR can bring up strong emotions or physical sensations, but you will not be expected to push through more than you can safely manage.
How does EMDR fit into therapy?
EMDR is not a quick fix or a stand-alone technique used in every session. It is one part of the psychotherapy process and may be combined with conversation, reflection, coping strategies, and other approaches suited to your needs.
Some focused concerns may improve relatively quickly. Longstanding or repeated trauma often requires more time, preparation, and care.
As new insights emerge, we will work to bring them into your daily life—helping you respond differently, relate to yourself with greater compassion, and feel less defined by the past.
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