Bilateral stimulation wands · The Room
For when you understand what happened—but your body hasn't gotten the message.
You can narrate your history with clarity. You understand the patterns, the origins, the reasons. You've spent years in therapy making sense of what happened.
And yet.
The memory still floods you when it surfaces. Your chest tightens in moments that shouldn't be threatening. Your mind goes blank when someone raises their voice. Anxiety spikes and you can't trace it to anything rational. You're exhausted from managing reactions that don't match what you know to be true.
This is the gap between knowing and healing—between insight and integration.
Talk therapy gave you language for your experience. But your nervous system is still responding as if the danger is present. The understanding is real. And it's not enough.
EMDR works differently. It doesn't ask you to narrate the trauma again. It helps your brain finally process what got stuck—so the memory can become memory, not something that keeps happening inside you.
"the thing I came for: the wreck and not the story of the wreck"
— Adrienne Rich, "Diving into the Wreck"
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based therapy developed specifically for processing memories that still carry emotional charge.
When something overwhelming happens, your brain sometimes can't fully process it. The memory gets stored with all the sensory and emotional intensity of the original moment—the images, the body sensations, the beliefs about yourself that formed in that moment (I'm not safe. It was my fault. I'm broken.).
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—typically eye movements, but sometimes taps or sounds—while you briefly hold the memory in mind. This helps your brain's natural processing system do what it couldn't do at the time: integrate the experience, reduce its emotional charge, and let it become a normal memory rather than a live wire.
You don't have to narrate every detail. You don't have to relive it to heal it.
The memory stays. What changes is how it lives in you.
Most Seattle therapists who list EMDR completed a weekend training. I hold EMDRIA Certification — requiring 50+ hours of supervised consultation and demonstrated competency across the full protocol. See full credentials →
EMDR was originally developed for PTSD, but research now supports its effectiveness for a wide range of experiences where distressing memories are fueling current symptoms.
Trauma & PTSD — Single-incident trauma (accidents, assaults, witnessing violence), complex trauma and childhood abuse, medical trauma, first responder and workplace trauma. Learn more about my approach to trauma therapy →
Anxiety & Panic — Anxiety rooted in past experiences, panic attacks with identifiable triggers, anticipatory anxiety and dread, social anxiety connected to specific memories of humiliation or rejection.
Depression — When depression is connected to unresolved experiences—loss, failure, rejection, abuse—EMDR can help process what's underneath the persistent low mood.
Grief & Loss — Grief that won't resolve, complicated mourning, loss that carries guilt or unfinished business.
Relationship Patterns — Attachment wounds and relational trauma, betrayal and infidelity, patterns of avoidance, people-pleasing, or emotional shutdown in intimate relationships.
Negative Self-Beliefs — Shame that started somewhere specific, "I'm not good enough" beliefs that persist despite evidence, perfectionism and harsh self-criticism with traceable origins.
Performance & Phobias — Performance anxiety, phobias, test anxiety, public speaking fear, disturbing memories that intrude on daily life.
If there's a memory or set of memories driving your current distress, EMDR may help—even if the experience doesn't seem "traumatic enough" to count.
Imagine thinking about the thing that used to flood you—and feeling... nothing much. Not numbness. Not avoidance. Just the quiet recognition that it happened, without your chest tightening or your mind going blank.
Imagine walking into a situation that used to trigger you and noticing a pause where the automatic reaction used to be. You have a choice you didn't have before.
Imagine your body actually relaxing. Not because you're forcing it with breathing exercises, but because the thing that was keeping it braced has been processed. The tension that's lived in your shoulders for years starts to release on its own.
Imagine anxiety that used to hijack your day becoming manageable—not because you've learned another coping skill, but because the memories feeding it no longer carry the same charge.
Imagine the belief that's haunted you—I'm broken, I'm not enough, it was my fault—losing its grip. Not because someone convinced you otherwise, but because your brain finally filed the memory where it belongs. The belief just doesn't feel true anymore.
This isn't fantasy. This is what EMDR therapy makes possible—not by erasing your history, but by changing your relationship to it.
I'm an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist—a credential that requires advanced training, 50+ hours of consultation with an approved EMDRIA consultant, and demonstrated competency across the full protocol. Most therapists who list EMDR have completed a basic training (a weekend or two). EMDRIA Certification reflects significantly more depth, clinical hours, and supervised practice with the modality.
But certification alone isn't what makes the work effective. What matters is how EMDR is held.
In my practice, EMDR isn't a standalone technique—it's integrated within a depth-oriented, existential-phenomenological approach to therapy. That means I'm not just running a protocol. I'm tracking how the processing connects to your relationships, your identity, your sense of meaning. When a memory shifts, I help you make sense of what that means for how you live now.
I also bring additional modalities that complement and extend EMDR when needed:
The protocol is the foundation. What I bring is the clinical judgment to know when the work needs something more.
EMDR follows an eight-phase protocol. I follow it with fidelity—not because I'm rigid, but because the sequence matters. Here's what that looks like in practice:
History & Preparation (Phases 1–2)
We start by understanding what brings you to therapy, identifying target memories, and building the internal resources you'll need to process difficult material safely. I don't rush this. Some clients are ready quickly; others need several sessions of stabilization and trust-building first.
Processing (Phases 3–6)
This is the core of EMDR. We identify the target memory (Phase 3), process it with bilateral stimulation (Phase 4), strengthen a new, adaptive belief about yourself (Phase 5), and scan for any residual tension held in the body (Phase 6). You'll notice thoughts, images, body sensations, and emotions shifting as the session progresses. It's not about forcing anything—your brain does the work. My job is to facilitate, keep you grounded, and track what's emerging.
Closure & Reevaluation (Phases 7–8)
Each session ends with stabilization so you leave grounded (Phase 7). At the next session, we reevaluate what shifted—checking that the memory has lost its charge, that the new belief has taken hold, and addressing related memories that surfaced (Phase 8). And we make meaning of what changed—because lasting change isn't just neurological, it's personal.
Sessions are typically 50–60 minutes, though some clients opt for extended sessions (90 minutes) or trauma intensives (half-day or full-day) for deeper EMDR processing.
Clients often describe EMDR as intense but not overwhelming—like finally letting something move through you that's been stuck for years.
You might feel tired after a session. You might notice dreams, new memories surfacing, or emotions shifting over the following days. This is all part of the processing continuing between sessions.
"I can think about it now without my whole body clenching up."
"It feels like it's behind me now—not like it's still happening."
"I didn't have to tell you every detail, and it still worked."
The goal isn't to erase the memory or pretend it didn't happen. The goal is for the memory to stop running your nervous system.
EMDR might be a good fit if:
EMDR might not be the best fit if:
If you're not sure, we can figure it out together in a consultation. And if EMDR isn't the right fit, I offer other trauma processing modalities—Brainspotting, Flash Technique, relational depth work—that may be. Learn more about my approach →
I also offer EMDR consultation for clinicians working toward EMDRIA Certification.
It varies. A single, clearly defined traumatic memory might resolve in 3–6 sessions. Complex trauma with multiple memories and developmental layers often takes longer—sometimes several months of weekly work. Anxiety and phobias connected to specific experiences often respond quickly. We'll get a clearer picture after the first few sessions.
No. EMDR doesn't require detailed narration. You can process a memory while sharing only as much as feels necessary. Some clients give me a brief headline ("the car accident," "what happened with my father") and we work from there.
If EMDR isn't landing, we have options. Flash Technique can reduce intensity before we try again. Brainspotting accesses material differently and works well for some people who don't respond to EMDR. And sometimes what's needed is more relational groundwork before processing. We adjust based on what your system actually needs.
Yes. Anxiety and depression often have roots in specific experiences—even ones that don't seem "traumatic" in the classic sense. If your anxiety has identifiable triggers, or your depression connects to memories of loss, failure, or rejection, EMDR can help process those underlying experiences. You don't need a PTSD diagnosis to benefit from EMDR.
Many therapists complete a basic EMDR training (usually a weekend or two). EMDRIA Certification requires significantly more: additional training hours, 50+ hours of consultation with an approved EMDRIA consultant, and demonstrated competency across the full protocol. It indicates a deeper level of experience and skill with the modality. When looking for an EMDR therapist in Seattle, this distinction matters.
EMDR's effectiveness depends heavily on proper preparation, pacing, and the therapeutic relationship. If previous EMDR felt too fast, too overwhelming, or too mechanical, we can try a different approach—slower pacing, more resourcing, Flash Technique to reduce activation first, or a combination with Brainspotting. The modality itself may not have been the problem.
EMDR is a specific method I use. Trauma therapy is the broader clinical work. If you already know you want EMDR, this page is for you. If you're not sure what kind of help you need and you're dealing with the effects of trauma, start with the trauma therapy page →.
Single-incident trauma (an accident, an assault) often resolves in 3–6 EMDR processing sessions. Complex trauma with multiple memories and developmental layers typically takes several months of weekly sessions. Many clients notice shifts after the first few processing sessions—reduced reactivity, better sleep, less intrusive imagery—even before the full course of treatment is complete.
Yes. EMDR is billed as standard psychotherapy and is covered by most insurance plans. I am in-network with Premera, Lifewise, and Aetna. Many clients pay only a $20–50 copay per session. I also offer superbills for out-of-network reimbursement.