EMDR Therapy in Dallas, TX
Maybe you’ve heard about EMDR from your therapist or a friend, stumbled across it online, or heard a celebrity talk about how much it helped them. This therapy involving eye movements has become increasingly well known, but you're still wondering what it is.
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a trauma-focused therapy designed to help your brain process experiences that still feel stuck and unresolved. EMDR isn’t about forgetting what happened—it’s about getting the past to feel like the past, rather than something that your brain and body still respond to as if it’s happening in the present.
What is EMDR Therapy?
When something overwhelming happens, your brain doesn’t always process the experience the same way as it processes ordinary events. Different components of the experience (i.e. emotions, thoughts, beliefs, images, physical sensations) can continue to feel vivid and be activated easily, even long after the experience is over.
EMDR helps your brain revisit and reprocess those experiences in a structured way so the memory can become less distressing and less disruptive in your life moving forward.
Despite what the name suggests, EMDR is about much more than just the eye movements. In fact, sometimes we don’t use eye movements at all.
How does EMDR work?
During EMDR, we identify a specific experience to work with and notice the thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and physical sensations that come along with it.
While you briefly focus on parts of the experience, I guide you through bilateral stimulation (BLS). BLS involves alternating between stimulating the left and right sides of the body. This can be done with eye movements, with tapping, audio, or other forms of BLS.
You split your focus between the experience and what is going on in the present moment. I check in with you frequently and allow your brain to make its own connections.
EMDR also includes preparation before we begin working with the old memories. We’ll take time to understand what you’re experiencing currently, identify what you want to work on, and develop the resources and skills you need to stay present and grounded throughout the process.
If vocalizing your story is hard—you don’t have to tell me every detail of what happened in order to process it. EMDR doesn’t require much talking.
What Can EMDR Help With?
EMDR is best known for its use in treating PTSD and trauma, but it can also be incorporated into therapy for a range of concerns.
When appropriate, I may use EMDR in my work with adults experiencing:
Trauma & PTSD
Complex Trauma & CPTSD
Distressing or painful memories
Anxiety and phobias
Negative beliefs about yourself
EMDR Therapy In Person and Online
I offer EMDR therapy in person in Dallas, TX and via telehealth for adults throughout Texas.
Yes—we can do EMDR virtually! There are different methods for using BLS, even if you’re not attending sessions in person.
EMDR can be incorporated into traditional weekly therapy. EMDR can be offered through 45–60 minute sessions or 75–90 minute sessions. Some clients choose to dedicate more concentrated time through EMDR Intensives.
Is EMDR Right For You?
Can I do EMDR if I can’t remember exactly what happened?
Yes, when faced with a traumatic event, it is common to forget parts or all of what happened. This doesn’t mean you can’t do EMDR. We can focus on other aspects of the trauma, like how you feel about it today, how you respond physically or emotionally to things that remind your nervous system of what happened, or a negative self-belief that you acquired after the trauma.
Can I do EMDR if I don’t recognize physical sensations?
Absolutely! If you don’t know how different emotions feel in your body (the physical sensations associated with different emotions), we can work on learning together. If physical sensations are something that you don’t experience, we can still do EMDR without them.
EMDR can be powerful, but that doesn’t mean it is automatically right for every person or that we need to jump straight into it.
If we decide to use EMDR, we’ll approach it collaboratively and at a pace that feels safe for you. We can talk about what you hope to change, what you’re experiencing now, and whether EMDR fits into your therapy.