EMDR Therapy
Access Your Inner Adaptive Healing
How EMDR Works
When something overwhelming happens, the brain sometimes can’t process it like a normal memory. Instead, the memory gets stored with the same fear, shame, or body sensations you felt at the time. This is why triggers feel so intense, even years later.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) uses bilateral stimulation-guided eye movements, tapping, or tones-to help the brain finish processing what it couldn’t at the time of the event. This process works similarly to what your brain does during REM sleep, when it naturally organizes and heals.
As the memory reprocesses, the emotional charge decreases. You can remember what happened without feeling like you’re reliving it.
What to Expect
EMDR follows an eight-phase treatment that focuses on your past, present triggers, and future goals. You do not have to go into detail about the trauma for EMDR to work. The process is gentle, structured, and guided at the pace your nervous system can handle.
Many people experience meaningful relief in fewer sessions compared to traditional talk therapy.
Why EMDR at Selva
Your therapist will combine EMDR with warm, attuned care and other supportive tools such as grounding, parts work, somatic techniques, and attachment-based approaches. We believe healing happens when your mind, body, and nervous system are supported together.
If you’re ready to work through trauma, reduce anxiety, and feel more grounded in your life, EMDR can help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
What EMDR Can Help
Trauma & PTSD
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.
Anxiety & Panic
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.
Childhood or Relational Trauma
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.
Depression
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.
Grief & Loss
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.
Chronic Stress
EMDR helps clients process the memories and experiences that fuel ongoing stress, reducing the intensity of triggers and emotional overwhelm. Over time, this can support greater emotional regulation, resilience, and a sense of calm in daily life.
Medical or Birth Trauma
EMDR provides a safe, structured way to work through traumatic medical or birth experiences. It allows clients to release distressing emotions and physical sensations while fostering healing, empowerment, and integration.
Negative Self-Beliefs
EMDR targets the root experiences that create self-critical or limiting beliefs. Through reprocessing, clients can transform these patterns into more balanced, affirming, and self-compassionate ways of thinking.
Pain & Somatic Symptoms
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.
Ready to start your healing journey? We offer free consultations!
Ready to start your healing journey? We offer free consultations!
Meet Our EMDR Therapy Team
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.