EMDR is done within a standard 50-minute therapy session - though intensives (longer sessions) are also available. Typically, we’ll spend the first few sessions (often between 3 and 5) getting to know each other - building safety, resourcing, and making sure your nervous system is ready for reprocessing.

The number of EMDR reprocessing sessions needed varies widely. Some people feel significant relief after just one session, while others find that healing unfolds more gradually over time. This depends on lots of factors, including the nature of what we’re working through, how your nervous system responds, and what else is happening in your life.

EMDR isn’t about forcing a quick fix. I’s about creating the conditions for deep, lasting change - at a pace that feels respectful, attuned, and sustainable for you.

After spending a few sessions preparing, we’ll begin EMDR reprocessing sessions. During these sessions, you’ll gently focus on a distressing memory that is connected to a negative belief we’ve identified as still having a hold on you.

While you hold the memory in mind, I’ll guide you through bilateral stimulation (BLS). BLS can take on many forms, and we’ll choose what feels most comfortable to you. This might include guided eye movements, gentle tapping on your shoulders or knees, audio tones that move from ear to ear, tapping your feet, or other rhythmic forms of stimulation.

Periodically, we’ll pause tocheck in about how you’re doing and what’s coming up, then continue at a pace that feels manageable and supportive.

I always make sure we leave time at the end of the session to help you feel grounded, oriented, and safely wrapped up before you leave.

Over time, EMDR can help soften the emotional intensity of memories, allowing painful experiences to feel truly in the past - no longer showing up as a present-day threat.

EMDR can feel a little different for everyone. Many people experience it as emotional in some way, especially at first. It’s common and normal for feelings like uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, anger, or confusion to arise as the brain begins processing stored emotions.

At the same time, not everyone has big emotions. Some people notice physical sensations, shifting thoughts, images, or a sense of distance from the memory, rather than intense feeling.

Over Time, I often see these early emotions soften and transform. Clients may start to notice more peace, confidence, self-compassion, ease, lightness, playfulness, or a deeper sense of calm and connection. The process unfolds in its own way, guided by your nervous system and at a pace that’s meant to be supportive, rather than overwhelming.

That’s completely okay. EMDR does not require you to tell detailed stories or talk through your trauma before you’re ready.

When we are in the reprocessing phase of EMDR, I’ll typically ask you to just share just a word or short sentence about what you are noticing internally - and that’s it. EMDR is based on the understanding that the mind has an innate capacity to heal, much like the rest of the body. Often, using fewer words and staying internally to your internal experience allows that healing process to unfold more naturally.

During Reprocessing sessions, I’m intentionally quieter than in traditional talk therapy. This creates more space for your nervous system and mind to do the work they already know how to do, in their own time and in their own wise way. You remain in control throughout, and we move at a pace that feels safe and respectful to you.

EMDR translates very well to an online therapy setting for most people. Sessions are structured the same way they would be if we were meeting in person, including preparation, Reprocessing, and time at the end to help you feel grounded and settled.

There are several effective ways to engage in bilateral stimulation online, included guided eye movements, alternating audio tones, and tapping. We’ll work together to find the approach that feels best to you.

Many people find online EMDR surprisingly easeful. Being able to join from the comfort and familiarly of their own space - maybe with a beloved pet nearby, wrapped in a blanket, or in cozy clothes - can help the nervous system feel safer and more at ease, which supports deeper processing.

No - EMDR is used to treat symptoms that linger after a distressing or overwhelming experience, not only for people who meet criteria for PTSD.

Everyone has had experiences that were painful in one way or another. In response, the mind often tries to make sense of those experiences by forming rules or beliefs meant to protect us “next time.” While these adaptations once served a purpose, they can become limiting over time, leading us to misinterpret present-day situations as dangerous or similar to the past, and reactivating distress unnecessarily.

EMDR helps the brain update these old patterns, allowing the past to stay in the past, so you can live your life with more freedom, ease, and joy in the present.

While EMDR can be used to support a variety of challenges, there are times when it is not appropriate or when resourcing, stabilizing, and grounding must come first and take some time. EMDR

Any form of therapy has the potential to bring up intense emotions or painful memories, and EMDR is no different. That said, EMDR is designed with safety and stabilization as a central part of the process.

Before any Reprocessing begins, we spend time grounding, resourcing, and making sure that you feel stable enough and supported enough to approach difficult material. We’ll also thoughtfully explore whether it’s the right time to begin this work, and create a clear plan for how to handle intensity if it arises.

EMDR is always done at a pace that respects your nervous system. You remain in control throughout, and we can slow down, pause, or shift focus at any point. The goal is not to overwhelm, but to support healing in a way that feels contained, intentional, and safe.

That curiosity makes sense. EMDR can feel complex, and starting with a new therapist requires bravery and trust.

If questions are coming up for you, you’re very welcome to reach out. You can call, text, or email me, or book a consultation where we can talk things through and see if working together feels like a good fit. There is never any pressure to commit - just space to ask questions, get a feel for the process, and decide what feels right for you.