Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EMDR)
EMDR Therapy:
Heal from the Past, Reclaim Your Present
If you are reading this, you may be feeling burdened by a heavy physcological weight. Perhaps it’s a specific, painful event that you can’t seem to move past. Maybe it’s a lingering sense of anxiety, a core belief that you "aren't good enough," or a feeling that you are always on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
You might logically know that you are safe right now, but your body and your emotions react as if the danger is still happening. I want you to know that this is not a personal failing; it is simply how the human brain responds to the overwhelming stress of trauma.
At Vivio Counseling, I offer Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR is a profound, evidence-based approach designed to help you process stuck memories, calm your nervous system, and find relief from the weight of the past.
Why Traditional Talk Therapy Isn't Always Enough
Talk therapy is incredibly valuable, but when it comes to deeply ingrained trauma, talking through what happened doesn't always bring relief. In fact, sometimes talking about it leaves you feeling worse.
This happens because trauma isn't stored in the logical, reasoning part of our brain (the prefrontal cortex). It gets trapped in the emotional and survival centers of the brain (the amygdala) alongside the original sights, sounds, physical sensations, and negative beliefs you experienced at the time.
Your brain gets "stuck" in a trauma response: fight, flight, or freeze. EMDR acts as a bridge, allowing the logical part of your brain to communicate with the emotional part, helping the stuck memory process through to completion.
What is EMDR Therapy and How Does it Work?
EMDR is a structured therapy that helps your brain do what it naturally wants to do: heal.
Think of a physical wound. If you get a cut, your body immediately goes to work closing the skin and healing the injury. However, if there is a splinter left inside, the wound can't heal. It becomes blocked, irritated, and painful. EMDR acts to gently remove the "splinter" of psychological trauma so your brain’s natural healing processes can continue.
The Power of Bilateral Stimulation (BLS)
EMDR utilizes something called Bilateral Stimulation. This simply means rhythmically stimulating the left and right sides of your brain. During a session, I will guide you to hold a small piece of a distressing memory in your mind while simultaneously engaging in BLS. This can be accomplished a number of ways:
- Eye movements: Following a light bar or the therapist's fingers side to side.
- Tactile stimulation: Holding small devices that gently vibrate in alternating hands, or practicing guided, rhythmic tapping.
- Auditory tones: Listening to alternating sounds through headphones.
This dual awareness, keeping one foot safely in the present moment with me, while briefly looking at the past, allows you to access the emotions in the past while utilizing the resources from the present. It processes the unhealed memory, "defragmenting" it, and filing it away properly as a story from the past, rather than a threat in the present.
What Can EMDR Help With?
While originally developed for the treatment of PTSD, EMDR is effective for a wide range of struggles. In my practice at Vivio Counseling, I use EMDR to treat:
- Single-Incident Trauma: Car accidents, natural disasters, sudden loss, assaults, or medical emergencies.
- Complex Trauma (C-PTSD): The cumulative effects of abuse, neglect, or toxic relationships.
- Anxiety & Panic: Chronic worry, phobias, social anxiety, and panic attacks.
- Depression: Processing the core experiences that led to feelings of hopelessness or low self-worth.
- Grief: Complicated mourning or guilt surrounding the loss of a loved one.
- Self-Esteem & Performance: Dismantling deeply held negative beliefs (e.g., "I am unlovable," "I am a failure") and boosting confidence.
What to Expect: The 8 Phases of EMDR
One of the biggest misconceptions about EMDR is that you will be forced to relive your worst memories on the very first day. This is absolutely false. EMDR is paced entirely around your comfort and safety.
Here is how the 8 phases typically unfold in our work together:
Phase 1: History and Treatment Planning This is where I get to know you. We will discuss your current struggles, your history, and gently identify which memories or triggers we might want to focus on.
Phase 2: Preparation and Resourcing (The Safety Phase) This is the most important phase. Before we get to any difficult memories, I will ensure your nervous system is ready. You will learn specific coping skills, grounding techniques, and emotional regulation tools. Together, we will build a mental "Safe Place" or "Container" that you can access at any time. We will not move forward until you feel completely stable and equipped.
Phases 3-6: Assessment, Desensitization, and Reprocessing This is the active processing stage where we use Bilateral Stimulation (BLS). We isolate a specific memory, the negative belief tied to it, and how it feels in your body. Through guided sets of BLS, your brain will process the memory, working to reduce distress to zero. We will then "install" a new, empowering belief (e.g., "I survived, and I am safe now").
Phases 7 & 8: Closure and Reevaluation Every session ends with closure. Complex and significant traumas often require multiple sessions to fully process. In these cases, I will guide you through grounding exercises to "close down" the work so you leave the office feeling calm and present. We begin the next session by checking in on how you felt throughout the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I have to talk about my trauma in detail?
No. One of the benefits of EMDR is that you do not have to recount the details of your trauma aloud. You just need to hold the memory in your mind while the bilateral stimulation happens. Your brain does the work; you do not have to perform or explain it to me.
Will I lose control?
Not at all. You are fully awake, alert, and in control the whole time. You can hold up your hand and say "stop" at any second, and I will immediately pause. EMDR is a collaborative process.
Will this make me forget what happened?
No, EMDR does not erase memories. You will still remember the event, but the emotional pain, the physical tightness in your chest, and the anxiety attached to it will be gone. You will be able to look back at the memory objectively, without it ruining your day.
Does EMDR work virtually / online?
Yes! Research has shown that EMDR is effective via telehealth. I use secure software to guide bilateral eye movements and auditory tones right on your computer screen from the comfort of your own home.
Ready to Stop Just Surviving?
Healing from trauma is brave work, but you do not have to do it alone. As an EMDR-trained therapist, I am here to provide a warm, non-judgmental, and secure environment for you to finally put the past where it belongs: in the past.
Take the first step toward a lighter future.