EMDR Therapy

In person sessions in Charlotte, North Carolina

Virtual Sessions in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida

What is EMDR THerapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy method designed to help you recover from trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and many other mental health conditions. Developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the 1980s, EMDR is based on her discovery that eye movements reduce distress associated with traumatic memories. It uses bilateral stimulation (e.g., eye movements, sounds, or tactile cues) to reprocess and desensitize distressing memories, promoting emotional healing.

how EMDR Works

All of that sounds a bit… stiff, right? Let’s talk about what the process actually looks like and why it works. When you experience something traumatic, that memory sometimes gets “stuck” rather than moving through the entire processing system. Think of a bad knot, with several different strands involved. There may be sensory experiences, body sensations, emotions, thoughts, and beliefs all tangled together. When that memory gets activated, everything knotted up with it gets activated as well, causing distress at various levels. This distress can be in the form of PTSD, anxiety, depression, pain, and so many other challenges.

EMDR targets those memories that have become "stuck" in the brain's processing system, causing you to reexperience trauma through flashbacks, sensory triggers, or intense emotional responses. One theory on the WHY does EMDR work is that, through bilateral stimulation, EMDR mimics the brain's natural information-processing during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, allowing these memories to be reprocessed. The truth is, we’re still not totally sure WHY it works. However, it’s clean that it DOES work. After successful EMDR, the memory will remain, but its emotional charge is neutralized, enabling you to recall the event without distress.

Who can benefit from EMDR?

EMDR can be effective with anyone who wants healing and support around…

  • Sexual and/or Physical abuse

  • Trauma

  • Phobias

  • Body Dysmorphia

  • Performance Anxiety

  • General Anxiety

  • Complicated Grief

  • Addiction

  • Stress

  • Pain Disorders

  • PTSD

  • Depression

  • Panic Attacks

…And more!

The Eight Phases of EMDR

Agreeing to a process when you’re not sure what it looks like can be very intimidating, if not downright scary. I believe in moving at your pace and providing information to help you feel prepared and ready to move forward.

Above are the eight phases of EMDR therapy. Together, we will move through these phases in the timeframe that makes sense to you as an individual. We flow through the phases and revisit phases as needed.

If you choose to go through EMDR with me, we will go through what each of these phases will look like before we ever get started. You are invited and welcomed to ask as many questions as you want before getting started!

It’s time to find joy again.

I’ll help through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and circumstances. My approach to counseling and coaching comes from a place of hope and understanding : you are not doomed to feel like this forever. You simply need some support as you learn new ways of achieving your goals.