EMDR Therapy

in Philadelphia

Is the past holding you back from living fully in the present?

Maybe you’re starting to notice that past experiences you thought you’d “gotten over” keep showing up – in your thoughts, perhaps your dreams, and in the way you think and feel about yourself. You feel on edge, frustrated by how you seem to be over-reacting to the slightest thing, and you’re scared of the overwhelming feelings like anger, panic and shame that keep coming up.

There may be no single traumatic event that keeps playing over in your mind, but rather a sense that many difficult things you experienced in your life have something to do with how you’re showing up and relating to others and yourself today.

Perhaps you’re quick to tell yourself that “you could have had it worse” or “it really wasn’t that bad,” all the while feeling:

  • Constantly on-alert or “jittery”
  • Fearful of and perhaps avoiding certain situations that remind you of painful experiences from your past
  • Like you have no control over the big emotional storms that seem to sweep you away 

 

EMDR Therapy can help

It might feel far away right now, but you can release, let go of and transform the negative thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about yourself that are making it so hard to show up for yourself and others with a sense of hope, open-heartedness, and assurance that you can in fact handle hard things. Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitization (EMDR) is an evidence-based treatment that can help you get there.

EMDR Therapy helps you:

  • Get to and heal from the root of the pain rather than frantically trying to control the troubling symptoms that keep popping up
  • Access your brain’s innate healing capacity to process past painful experiences in a more adaptive, healthy way
  • Connect with and heal the younger parts of yourself that are “stuck” in past pain
  • Uncover and strengthen the resources that are already inside of you

EMDR is different than traditional talk therapies in that we use bilateral stimulation (alternately stimulating the right and left sides of the body through touch, sound or eye movement) while following an 8-phase, step-by-step approach to healing your past, present and future. While we can’t change what’s happened in the past, we can change how memories are stored in the brain by creating a safe and healing opportunity for mind and body to effectively and adaptively “digest” what was once too overwhelming. I’ll guide you through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and circumstances. My approach to EMDR therapy comes from an understanding that when we can be fully present and extend compassion toward the wounded parts of ourselves, deep healing and transformation is possible.

It’s time to step into your present with greater hope, confidence, and self-compassion.  

EMDR Therapy can help you get there.

Frequently Asked Questions about EMDR

What happens in an EMDR session?

EMDR follows a step-by step approach that begins with making sure you feel safe and ready to move into processing the difficult experiences and emotions that we have determined might be holding you back or keeping you “stuck.” This involves building and practicing skills such as visualization, breath work and connecting with positive emotions and experiences.

We then purposefully activate the difficult/traumatic memory while holding a dual awareness in the present moment and do this while alternately stimulating the right and left sides of the body through touch, sound, or eye movement. This allows us to access, adaptively process and release the painful experience, so it no longer causes disruption in the present moment. It also gives us a chance to be the compassionate witness that the wounded parts of ourselves need.

Will we just do EMDR or can it be combined with other therapies?

EMDR can be a standalone treatment for trauma or can be integrated into other modalities. Your treatment plan will be tailored to meet your specific needs and can always be adjusted accordingly.

How long before I start seeing results?

People often report feeling some relief even after just one EMDR session. For single incident traumas, resolution may be found within just a handful of sessions. For more complex trauma, including childhood emotional neglect, EMDR is often integrated into a larger approach that works with accessing and supporting more secure attachment experiences and patterns. I offer both standard 50-55 minute session as well as extended-length EMDR sessions for 90 minutes if you wish to see progress faster.

How do I know if EMDR will work for me?

If you’re still finding that the same troubling symptoms/behavior patterns/emotional reactions keep coming up despite the talk therapy or self-help approaches you’ve tried, EMDR may be a helpful treatment for you. It helps to activate the whole brain and build and strengthen new and adaptive thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors so that radical transformation is possible.

How to do we get started?

Reach out today for a free 15-minute phone or zoom consultation. We’ll explore if we might be a good fit and you’ll have a chance to ask any questions you have. If we decide to work together, we’ll find a time that works for both of us and begin meeting on a weekly basis.

Address

1315 Walnut St. Suite 1700
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Ready to get started?

Don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I’m happy to offer a free fifteen minute phone consultation to see if we might be a good fit.