Healing your trauma

through EMDR

Available online to residents of Washington State

 Are you feeling burdened by reminders of your painful past?

Whether it is because of one BIG event or trauma that was endured for years.

Trauma changes our body. You might feel “on alert” at all times, constantly feeling tense. Our body has a hard time taking all that stress, so you may feel numb to it and disconnected from the world around you.


Whatever it is that you’re experiencing, the ways your body responds to trauma may negatively impact your life:

  • You struggle to focus, and it interferes with getting the things you need done.

  • You feel like you can’t trust those around you, to the point you may avoid people entirely.

  • You feel the need to control your world as much as possible. You believe if you prevent triggers from happening, you’ll never have to feel that pain.

 

EMDR can help

As impossible as it feels now, you can heal your trauma. You can calm your body. You can focus on the present moment rather than being stuck in the past.

EMDR is a specific type of therapy which helps you:

  • Heal the memories of the past and feel less distressed when you remember them

  • Reduce any intrusive thoughts, nightmares, or any other negative triggers.

  • Gain coping skills that feel meaningful and effective to manage stress in the future.

I’ll help through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and circumstances. My approach to treating trauma comes from a place of healing and enhancing our understanding.

 Your past does not need to be your entire story.

I can help.

Frequently asked questions about treating trauma and EMDR

  • EMDR applies to most problems surfacing in therapy. However, this does not mean that EMDR is the right fit for everyone. By it’s nature, you are facing some of your life’s largest pains and will need to have the proper tools, readiness, and relative safety in your environment. Which is why we always start by establishing where you are in that process and how to best support you in reinforcing those needs.

  • TL/DR: We do some normal therapy stuff like building tolerance for emotions and readiness for getting into the tough memories. And we do some not so typical therapy things like eye movement while thinking about trauma.

    EMDR has different phases of treatment that look different based on your needs. This is not always a linear process and may vary client to client. The main themes would be establishing readiness for trauma work, learning strategies for handling difficult emotions, processing trauma, and preparing for the future.

    Earlier phases of treatment may feel more like standard therapy with preparation for future reprocessing.

    The desensitization phase is the bread and butter of EMDR. Therapists use a strategy called dual attention BLS (bilateral stimulation) while you think about the traumatic event. The BLS part can look like watching a dot move back and forth, hearing a sound alternate on headphones, or alternate tapping on either side of the body. While this is happening, you may be imagining the memory as if you are watching a movie unfold or you may be going down the rabbit hole of your brain connections. Either way, we are triggering a response in the body that allows you to experience new thoughts, feelings, and sensations related to yourself and the traumatic experience.

    As you establish new beliefs about yourself and diminish any distress associated with the trauma, we may work towards how you move forward in your life.

  • Absolutely! Studies have shown EMDR through telehealth to be as effective as in person EMDR. I have seen this in my own work and take care to explore if telehealth is a good fit for each client.

  • Stable internet, a phone/tablet/computer, and/or headphones, and you’re golden.

    When we use eye movement, it’s best if you use a laptop, tablet, or monitor so you have the largest field of vision. A headset or ear buds of some variety are essential for auditory for BLS. If these forms of BLS don’t work for you, we can also explore loaning a pair of remote controlled handheld tactile buzzers. We will try as many of these methods as possible to find the form or combination that works best for you.

  • Containing all of this information into a FAQ is a tall order, so I encourage you to seek out more information from outside sources or reach out for a consultation. If you enjoy researching topics such as this in depth, I recommend beginning with EMDRIA (https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/). You will find resources and publications in addition to explanations of the EMDR process and what to expect.