Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing

EMDR is a trusted, science-backed method that partners with mental health counseling to help you gently process the past and find healing. 

EMDR doesn’t just target specific memories—it supports whole-body healing throughout your nervous system and body to improve your mental health. 

What is EMDR Therapy?

A targeted therapy treatment that uses bilateral stimulation of the brain. It works by recalling a memory, a somatic feeling, or even a non-memory with your therapist, while moving your eyes back and forth, listening to sounds or music, tapping or holding onto sensors.

As you recall the memory, the movement/stimulation helps your brain to process the trauma without reliving/discussing every part of it.

Because it accesses both sides of the brain, it helps your brain process and file the memory to minimize the effects of the event.

It helps clients process very difficult things without fully expressing themselves through traditional talk therapy.

How does EMDR Help You?

EMDR benefits include:

  • Reduction of triggers, anxiety, and adverse emotions

  • Gentle trauma-informed treatment that brings healing

  • Improves mental patterns (self-worth, self-confidence, etc.) 

  • Helps you to feel safer in your body

  • Increases mental stability and emotional regulation

The gentle approach of this method allows your counselor to partner with you through a client-led mental process. It’s safe, comfortable and helps create breakthroughs during sessions.

What does EMDR Help With?

  • Addiction

  • Anxiety

  • Bipolar Disorder

  • Eating Disorder

  • PTSD

  • Trauma

  • ADHD

  • Depression

  • General Mental Health

  • Dissociation or Dissociative Disorders

  • Fears

  • OCD

  • Chronic Pain

A Trauma-Informed, Whole-Body Approach

You are guided through this gentle method to recall memories that are difficult for you to recall or discuss. Through the physical movement of your eyes, through sounds or music, or the vibrations through the tappers in your hands, your brain is stimulated to process the memory and store it in a healthier way. This is similar to the process that happens in our brain while we sleep. Once our brain has processed the memory, it is stored in a healthier way that lessens the triggers or emotional reactions. 

How it partners with whole-body healing:

  • EMDR promotes nervous system regulation through memory recall and bilateral stimulation. This method is proven to reduce PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression and more. When your nervous system is more regulated, adverse symptoms from stress and anxiety are lessened.

  • Because our mind and body are so connected, this method helps our mind to balance. When our mind processes and stores difficult memories, our nervous system is calmed. As our nervous system is calmed, we can see an improvement in physical symptoms that include migraines, difficulty sleeping, anxiety attacks, etc.

  • EMDR can be integrated with other valuable techniques like Splankna to help clients reach new levels of personal insight, healing, and development. These techniques build upon the other to help clients experience personal breakthroughs on their personal healing journeys.

Want answers to your questions about EMDR?

BOOK A FREE 20-MINUTE CONSULTATION WITH MAGGIE

What To Expect in EMDR Therapy?

Maggie provides expert, trauma-informed therapy techniques in all her sessions to promote your healing, while ensuring that you feel comfortable all along the way. It is a trusted method that uses bilateral stimulation of the brain, while discussing elements of the memories and core beliefs, to help gently shift core beliefs and reduce triggers. It partners with talk therapy to help your brain process and store memories in a healing way. As always, if you have questions during your session, she is happy to stop and provide insight and help. 

Steps of a Session:

  1. Providing a confident start with making you feel comfortable - getting settled into the session, helping you get started.

  2. Identifying target memories - opens the session with discussion around the adverse memories to engage with you.

  3. Processing using bilateral stimulation - prompts you to use either eye movement or tappers while recalling the memory.

  4. Integration & grounding - walks with you through new mental pathways, coping mechanisms, and grounding work to resolve the memory and develop healing. This part of the session is vital for you to see the best results from this technique

Throughout the session, you are in charge of the pacing. Maggie provides supportive counsel and allows you to remain in control the whole time.  EMDR is a trusted method that helps you balance your brain’s emotional processing centers.

You don’t have to stay stuck in what you’ve been carrying.

Want to get started? Book a free consult!

Could EMDR Be Right For You?

  • You have difficulty talking about traumatic events

  • You are tired of just talking about the difficulties - you feel stuck with just traditional talk therapy

  • You feel overwhelmed or very easily triggered

  • You want to go beyond coping with your pain - you’re looking for lasting healing

EMDR works best in partnership with talk therapy in a safe, trusted environment

A woman with curly blonde hair standing against a white wall, wearing a black blazer over a white top, with necklaces and bracelets, arms crossed.

Why Work With Me?

I’ve been a licensed EMDR Counselor and Approved Consultant for years and have seen first-hand the value that it brings to my clients.

I’ve seen EMDR really set people free from some very difficult things in their past and find new coping mechanisms.

I’m passionate about trauma-informed care because it’s so beautiful to see how resilient the human brain is in finding healing.

I love offering EMDR as a part of my counseling practice because of the meaningful connections and healing strides that clients are able to make. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The intake session for EMDR therapy is a little longer than a traditional session. This allows me to teach you the method, show you the techniques, and walk you through the steps. The length of the session allows us to open discussion, follow the EMDR protocols with bilateral stimulation, and then close the session. By the end of the session, the memories will be stored and you will walk away with new coping mechanisms, mentalities, and healing. Some see results right away, while others might take a few sessions to see a difference.

  • EMDR is a tested and science-backed method that is safe. It involves eye movements, much like watching a ball bounce back and forth, listening to sounds or music, or holding onto two tappers/buzzers that lightly vibrate. It is gentle and safe.

  • EMDR partners with trauma, but is different from recalling every element and memory. Clients often find it less stressful and triggering than traditional talk therapy.

  • Some insurance companies will cover EMDR - most of the time they will cover it for a diagnosis of PTSD.  You will receive a statement upon request for the client to submit for reimbursement.

  • Results are seen within the two to four sessions. Clients can often see improvements within these first sessions just from supportive care and coping mechanisms/actionable steps for them to take.

  • Yes, EMDR can be done virtually with great success.  In fact some clients prefer their own environment for processing.