EMDR therapy
An evidence-based approach for trauma that helps the nervous system reprocess what it hasn’t finished. For a single event, or years of smaller ones.
Free 15-minute consultationSome experiences stay lodged in the body long after the mind has moved on. You can understand what happened, explain it clearly, know intellectually that it’s over, and still react as though it isn’t.
EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. It’s one of the most researched trauma treatments available, recommended by the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association.
The short version: distressing experiences can get stored differently from ordinary memories, held with the original emotion and body sensation intact. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, usually guided eye movements, while you hold the memory in mind. That process helps the brain reprocess the event and the beliefs that formed around it, so it settles into the past rather than staying live.
You don’t have to narrate the worst thing that happened to you in detail. Reprocessing is not retelling, which is the part most people are relieved to hear.
EMDR is not something we start in session one. The first phase is preparation: understanding your history, building resources for managing distress, and making sure your nervous system can tolerate the work. Skipping that phase is how EMDR goes badly.
Nothing gets forced open. We go at the speed your system can handle, and preparation can take several sessions. Once reprocessing begins, some people notice shifts quickly. Complex trauma carried over years takes longer.
EMDR is one tool, not the whole approach. I also work somatically and with polyvagal-informed regulation, parts work for the internal conflicts trauma creates, and a psychodynamic lens for how early experience shapes what happens now.
In person at 817 Garden St in Santa Barbara, or online anywhere in California. EMDR is effective delivered virtually.
EMDR·Somatic·Polyvagal·Parts Work·Trauma-Informed·Psychodynamic·Attachment-Based
Do I have to talk about the trauma in detail?
No. EMDR reprocesses rather than retells. You hold the memory in mind while we do the bilateral work; you don't have to narrate it or explain it to me in detail.
Is EMDR only for PTSD?
No. It's well established for PTSD and also used for anxiety with a traceable origin, grief, phobias, and the accumulated kind of trauma that never had a single event attached.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
A single-incident trauma can sometimes resolve in a handful of reprocessing sessions after preparation. Complex trauma carried over years takes considerably longer. We assess as we go.
Can EMDR be done online?
Yes. Virtual EMDR uses on-screen bilateral stimulation and is effective. Many clients do a hybrid of in-person and online.
What does EMDR cost?
EMDR sessions are $195 for 50 minutes. Private pay, with a superbill on request for out-of-network reimbursement.
We talk about what’s bringing you in and whether EMDR is the right fit. If it isn’t, I’ll say so. I respond personally to every inquiry within 48 hours.
Free 15-minute consultation