EMDR: A Down-to-Earth, Bottom-Up Approach to Healing
If you’ve ever felt weighed down by the trauma of your past—be it childhood wounds, major experiences like natural disasters, religious trauma, political anxiety, social anxiety, or even struggles with body image —EMDR might just be the game-changer you need. Think of it as a way to work from the bottom-up, addressing the raw, underlying sensations that create core negative beliefs that traditional talk therapy might miss. Let’s break it down in plain language.
What can EMDR help with?
EMDR isn’t just for one type of trauma or even just for trauma period. If it creates negative beliefs about yourself and distress in your body, it’s likely a candidate for EMDR. Here are just a few of the examples
Religious Trauma:
Guilt and perfectionism from strict purity culture
Spiritual disconnection and the pain of leaving a religious community
Cult experiences that leave you feeling betrayed and isolated
Political Anxiety:
Feeling helpless or hopeless in the face of a never ending news cycle
Re triggered stress from past micro aggressions
Existential dread and disillusionment with systemic issues
Other Issues:
Social anxiety that makes everyday interactions a challenge
Traumatic grief that leaves you frozen and unable to move on
Sexual and childhood and the deep wounds it can leave
Negative body image, feeling worthless or bad because of your body (HAES only approach here!)
By addressing these issues from the bottom up, EMDR can help rewire the way you process these experiences, leading to a more balanced, empowered way of living.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Treatment Planning Phase: Mapping Out Your Journey
Once we’re comfortable and have set clear goals, it’s time to map out how we’ll use EMDR to help you heal. This phase involves crafting a personalized treatment plan that’s as unique as you are.
What Happens During Treatment Planning:
Identifying Target Memories:
We pinpoint the memories or triggers that are causing you the most distress. We’ll start with the distressing experience in your body and I’ll ask you to “float back” and give me a short description of the first and worst memories tied to this feeling. We keep it short to avoid triggering you but you’re always allowed to tell me more.Customizing Your EMDR Process:
We tailor the EMDR techniques to suit your needs. This might mean adding more memories to your target plan, or making several different maps to line up with the many and complex hurts that you’re dealing with. .Setting Realistic Expectations:
While EMDR is the closest thing we get in therapy to a magic wand, real magic takes time, space, and dedication. Together, we’ll celebrate small victories, knowing that each step is progress—even if it feels like a tiny shuffle on a dance floor.Collaborative Planning and Identifying core negative and positive beliefs
The real damage of trauma comes from the beliefs it creates about ourselves and the world. We will take a look at your target plan and identify the core negative belief(s) these memories created (aka “I am not safe”) and what positive beliefs you would like to “install” instead (ex. “I’m okay as I am). I’ll make suggestions along the way but you get the ultimate say in what we work on. Always.
Bringing It All Together
In essence, EMDR is a multifaceted approach that meets you right where you are. From the initial preparation phase, where we build a secure foundation, to the treatment planning that tailors the process just for you, and finally to the processing phase where real healing happens—EMDR offers a unique path forward.
If you’re tired of feeling stuck or overwhelmed by your past, EMDR provides a safe, effective way to move forward. And remember: healing is a journey, one where even small steps can lead to profound changes.
So, if you’re ready to tackle those deep-seated wounds and start living a life that feels a bit more like you, let’s talk.
What Is EMDR and Why It’s Different
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is not your typical “sit on the couch and talk” therapy. Instead, it’s a dynamic, hands-on approach that helps your brain reprocess distressing memories and emotions. Rather than focusing on just challenging negative thoughts (which I’m sure as an overthinking trauma survivor you have done plenty of) EMDR works at a more fundamental, physiological level. Aka helping you feel safe and allowing that safety to create change in your thoughts. That’s what we mean by “bottom-up”—it gets to the core of those deep-seated feelings that may be bubbling under the surface.
Some quick facts about EMDR:
It’s evidence-based: Backed by research, it’s been helping people process traumatic events for decades.
It’s interactive: Sessions often include guided eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation.
It’s holistic: Beyond just talking, it engages your body and emotions for a more integrated healing experience.
The Preparation Phase: Laying the Groundwork
Before diving headfirst into processing traumatic memories, we start by building a solid foundation. This phase is all about getting comfortable and establishing trust, both with me as your therapist and with yourself.
Key Components of the Preparation Phase:
Safety and Stabilization:
Even in EMDR we don’t dive head first into your most painful experiences. We work together to develop grounding techniques and coping skills. Think of it like packing a bag with essentials before heading out on a long journey. We assess what skills you already have and teach you a few special EMDR based ones.Building trust:
No modality works if you don’t like or trust your therapist. We may take several sessions to just get to know each other and discuss your life in the present before we get to preparing for EMDR.Setting Goals:
Together, we’ll identify what you’d like to achieve. Do you want to reclaim a sense of peace? Reconnect with your spirituality? Simply feel less overwhelmed? Whatever your goals are, they’ll guide our work.
The Processing Phase: Getting to the Heart of It
Now we’re at the core of the EMDR process—the processing phase. This is where the real work happens, as we engage in the bilateral stimulation and guided techniques that help your brain reprocess those painful memories.
What to Expect During the Processing Phase:
Bilateral Stimulation:
Using eye movements, taps, or sounds, we activate both sides of your brain. This isn’t just a cool party trick; it’s a powerful tool that helps your brain process and “digest” traumatic memories. It acts as distraction that keeps you present in the here and now at least a little and activates the logic side of your brain so it talks with the emotions side of your brain.Revisiting Distressing Memories:
With the safety and grounding techniques you’ve learned, you’ll revisit difficult memories. It might sound intense, but remember: you’re not alone—I’m right here with you. And the bilateral stimulation we use is designed to keep you from becoming overwhelmed. We also only let you stay in the memory for between 10 seconds and a minute. If you do feel overwhelmed you just say the word and we will stop. No matter what. Consent is everything.Integrating New Perspectives:
As you sit in these memories they lose their sting and your brain naturally connects these memories to others, slowly (or sometimes quickly) healing a whole neural network of nasty stuff. Then we work to integrate healthier, more balanced perspectives. Over time, what once felt unbearable can become manageable, even a source of strength.Flexibility and Patience:
Every session is unique. Some days, progress might feel rapid; other days, you might need to take it slow. And that’s perfectly okay—healing is not a race.