EMDR- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based approach to therapy that helps people heal from trauma, anxiety, and distressing life experiences. Rather than focusing only on talking through the past, EMDR works by helping the brain reprocess painful memories so they no longer feel overwhelming or stuck in the nervous system.
Many people seek EMDR therapy for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, panic, low self-esteem, and negative core beliefs that continue to show up in daily life. Through guided bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping), EMDR allows the brain to access its natural healing ability, reducing emotional intensity and helping clients feel more grounded, empowered, and in control.
Wondering If EMDR Might Be a Good Option for You?
EMDR is especially helpful for individuals who feel “stuck,” triggered by past experiences, or exhausted from traditional talk therapy alone. Treatment is structured, collaborative, and paced with care—always prioritizing safety and emotional regulation.
EMDR is often a good fit if you notice that past experiences continue to affect your emotions, reactions, or sense of self—sometimes in ways that don’t fully make sense in the present. If certain memories feel easily triggered, emotions escalate quickly, or long-standing anxiety and self-doubt persist despite insight and self-work, EMDR may help address the root of the distress. This approach supports the nervous system in processing unresolved experiences so they lose their emotional charge, allowing you to respond to life with greater ease, stability, and confidence.
Resources to Learn More About EMDR:
Oprah Winfrey with Prince Harry (3 mins)
https://youtu.be/QGiqBazdPGw?si=7i7mASJ4UywN8USU
NYTimes Article
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/well/emdr-therapy.html
Healing with EMDR: Personal Stories (11 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiULmoDQe5g
What is Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
“Your Brain is Full of Filing Cabinets”
-An EMDR Metaphor
Imagine your mind as a vast room filled with filing cabinets, where each drawer stores different memories. Normally, during REM sleep, your brain files each memory properly, allowing you to easily retrieve and review information when needed. For instance, if you’d like a cool, refreshing drink on a hot day, your brain can retrieve the folder ‘cool, refreshing drinks’ and remind you to get a glass of iced water with a lemon.
However, traumatic memories are like files that were left open on the filing cabinet room floor during a moment of chaos. During REM sleep, your brain couldn’t file the memory appropriately because it was too overwhelming and, furthermore, your brain doesn’t really want to tuck the memory away because it doesn’t want you to forget it and possibly be in danger again. For example, in the hunter and gatherer days, if you went gathering with your best friend and they ate a red berry and died, your brain would not file this memory. Your brain leaves the file open so you can remember not to eat that red berry in future. Over time, though, because the memory has not been filed, it starts to generalize to other parts of your life – like, now maybe you don’t want to eat any red berries at all, or maybe even any fruit at all, or maybe even leave the house, or maybe never have a best friend again…
EMDR therapy acts like an efficient organizer entering this room. The therapy uses a specific technique, involving directed eye movements, to help you open each unfiled memory and file it appropriately. With the therapist's guidance, you carefully file these traumatic memories in the appropriate drawers, organizing them in a way that makes sense and is less disruptive. This process reduces the distress associated with these memories, helping restore order and calm to the room, allowing you to navigate your thoughts more effectively and with less discomfort.
