Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the most extensively researched and effective treatments for trauma and PTSD. It works by helping the brain reprocess traumatic memories — not erasing them, but changing the way they are stored so they no longer trigger the same overwhelming emotional and physical response.
How EMDR Works
During EMDR, you briefly focus on a traumatic memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation — typically eye movements, but sometimes tapping or auditory tones. This dual attention appears to activate the brain's natural information-processing system, allowing the memory to be integrated rather than remaining "stuck" in its raw, unprocessed form.
The result is that the memory remains accessible — you don't forget what happened — but it no longer carries the same emotional charge. What was once a wound becomes a scar: present, but no longer bleeding.
What EMDR Treats
- PTSD and complex PTSD
- Racial trauma and race-based traumatic stress
- Childhood abuse and neglect
- Sexual assault and intimate partner violence
- Grief and traumatic loss
- Anxiety and phobias with traumatic roots
- Negative core beliefs about self-worth
EMDR and Cultural Competence
Standard EMDR protocols were developed primarily with white clients in mind. Our therapists adapt the protocol to honor the cultural context of BIPOC clients — including the reality that racial trauma is ongoing, not historical, and that healing must account for the world clients return to after each session.