Introduction to EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an extensively researched, proven therapy designed to help people recover from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma's effects. EMDR utilizes dual attention stimulation, often in the form of bilateral stimulation--such as side-to-side eye movements--to help the brain's natural healing process reprocess traumatic memories. This results in the memories reducing in their emotional intensity and vividness, as well as facilitating more adaptive thinking. 

Research has shown that EMDR is effective not only in treating PTSD but also in treating anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), addictions, and chronic pain. The effectiveness of EMDR is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

​EMDR follows the Adaptive Information Processing Model, which suggests that negative thoughts, feelings, sensations, and behaviors generally stem from unresolved earlier experiences stored ineffectively in our brain, which can lead to the difficult symptoms we experience. The goal of EMDR is to process these experiences using dual-attention stimulation and leave you with the emotions, understanding, and perspectives that lead to healthy and useful behaviors and interactions. 

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Processing in EMDR

"Processing" in EMDR therapy does not mean talking about traumatic experiences.

​"Processing" means working with your brain's natural healing process, placing it in a learning state that allows the experiences causing the problem to be "digested" and appropriately stored in your brain, just like the rest of your memories. This means that you do not forget the memory, but it becomes less intense. The troublesome emotions, beliefs, and body sensations are discarded, and what is useful from the experience will be learned and stored in your memory with the appropriate emotions, allowing it to guide you effectively in the future. 

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Meet Our EMDR Providers

Andres Duran
​Clinical Supervisor
​Counselor

Caroline
Netschert
​Counselor

Elena
​Matthews
​Counselor