Access Your Inner Adaptive Healing
EMDR Rewires the Mind for Transformation
Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a powerful, evidence-based approach designed to help you heal from trauma and distressing life experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain process and reframe traumatic memories. Over time, painful emotions and negative beliefs lose their intensity, allowing individuals to gain relief, build resilience, and move forward with clarity and confidence.
How EMDR Works
When we experience something traumatic, our brain sometimes struggles to process it like it would a normal memory. Instead of being stored as a past event, the memory can remain “stuck” with the same vivid emotions, physical sensations, and negative beliefs that were present at the time. That’s why years later, current situations that resemble the trauma—even in subtle ways—can suddenly trigger intense emotional and physical responses, as if the event is happening all over again.
EMDR therapy helps the brain finish processing what it couldn’t at the time of the trauma.
Here’s the cool part! During the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep, our brains naturally process and file away memories. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, typically through guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones, to mimic the brain activity that occurs during REM, but while you're awake and focused on a specific memory.
This stimulation activates both sides of the brain, helping to connect the emotional part—the limbic system, with the thinking part—the prefrontal cortex. This connection lets the brain "digest" the stuck memory, separating it from the intense emotional charge. Over time, the memory stops feeling like a present threat. It no longer hijacks your emotions, your body, or your sense of self, and you finally get to move forward.
What EMDR Can Help
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This includes single-incident traumas (such as car accidents, assaults, or natural disasters) and complex trauma (repeated or chronic experiences such as childhood abuse, neglect, or domestic violence). EMDR helps individuals reprocess these experiences, reducing symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and emotional reactivity.
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Adverse childhood experiences—such as neglect, emotional abuse, bullying, or inconsistent caregiving—can impact how we relate to ourselves and others as adults. EMDR can help individuals reprocess these early relational wounds, improving self-esteem, emotional regulation, and relationship patterns.
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EMDR can target the root causes of anxiety, whether related to specific fears or generalized worry. By identifying and processing past events that may have contributed to current anxiety responses, EMDR can significantly reduce panic symptoms and help clients feel more in control.
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Many irrational fears—such as fear of flying, driving, public speaking, or medical procedures—can be linked to earlier experiences. EMDR helps reframe the brain’s response to these triggers, reducing avoidance behaviors and restoring confidence.
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EMDR can be a valuable complement to traditional OCD treatment by helping to identify and reprocess past experiences, traumas, or negative beliefs that may be fueling obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. By reducing the emotional charge connected to these underlying triggers, EMDR can decrease anxiety and lessen the need for compulsions. It also supports greater emotional regulation and tolerance for uncertainty—key challenges in OCD.
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While EMDR is not a cure-all for depression, it can be highly effective when depressive symptoms are linked to unresolved trauma, grief, or chronic negative beliefs about the self. By targeting the experiences that contributed to the onset of depression, clients often experience greater emotional balance and self-worth.
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While EMDR is not a standalone treatment for addiction, it can be a powerful adjunct. By helping clients process the emotional pain, trauma, or triggers that may underlie substance use or compulsive behaviors, EMDR can support long-term recovery and emotional regulation.
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EMDR helps individuals work through the pain of losing a loved one, especially if the grief feels “stuck” or complicated by guilt, trauma, or unresolved conflict. It supports healthier emotional processing and can create space for healing and remembrance.
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Many people carry deeply rooted beliefs like “I’m not good enough,” “I don’t matter,” or “I’m unlovable.” These beliefs often stem from earlier life experiences and can shape how we view ourselves and the world. EMDR works to transform these beliefs at their source, replacing them with more adaptive, empowering ones.
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In some cases, unresolved emotional trauma contributes to physical symptoms such as chronic pain, fatigue, or tension. EMDR has been used to reduce the intensity of physical symptoms by addressing their emotional and psychological components.
Choose Between
Sessions
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Choose between 50-minute or 80-minute 1-on-1 sessions with an EMDR-trained clinician.
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Ana Rodriguez, LPC
$— per 50-min
$— per 80-min
Ana Bradley, LCSW-S
$— per 50-min
$— per 80-min
Emery Rodriguez, LPC-Associate
$165 per 50-min
$185 per 80-min
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Shorter EMDR sessions can make therapy more accessible by reducing financial strain, while still providing consistent, focused progress toward healing in a manageable timeframe.
or
Intensives
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Choose between 2-hour or 3-hour intensives with an EMDR-trained clinician.
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Ana Rodriguez, LPC
$— per 2-hour intensive
$— per 3-hour intensive
Ana Bradley, LCSW-S
$— per 2-hour intensive
$— per 3-hour intensive
Emery Rodriguez, LPC-Associate
$300 per 2-hour intensive
$450 per 3-hour intensive
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EMDR intensives offer a powerful opportunity to make faster, deeper progress by condensing months of therapy into focused, extended sessions—saving time, reducing long-term costs, and allowing for more sustained healing in a shorter period.
Our EMDR-Trained Clinicians
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Ana Rodriguez, LPC
FOUNDER & CLINICAL THERAPIST
EMDR-Trained, CompassionWorks, 2018
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Ana Bradley, LCSW-S
CLINICAL THERAPIST
EMDR-Trained, Institute for Professional and Creative Development, 2017
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Emery Rodriguez, LPC-Associate
CLINICAL THERAPIST
Somatic EMDR-Trained, The Embody Lab, 2025
FAQs
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It varies. Some people feel significant relief in a few sessions, while others with more complex or longstanding trauma may need longer-term treatment. Your therapist will help create a treatment plan based on your unique needs and goals.
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Yes. Many therapists now offer EMDR via secure telehealth platforms. Bilateral stimulation can be done using visual cues, tapping, or audio tools adapted for virtual sessions. Your therapist will guide you through the process to ensure it’s effective and comfortable.
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Processing traumatic material can bring up strong emotions, vivid images, or physical sensations. These reactions are temporary and part of the healing process. Your therapist will ensure you're well-supported and grounded during and after each session.
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Yes. EMDR is recognized by organizations like the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as an effective treatment for trauma and PTSD. It has decades of research supporting its safety and effectiveness.
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Not necessarily. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR does not require you to describe your traumatic experience in full detail. The focus is on how the memory feels now and how it's affecting your present life, rather than retelling the entire story.
