For Adults in New York, Massachusetts & Vermont

EMDR Therapy
EMDR Certified Therapist

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapeutic tool that can help you integrate upsetting and traumatic experiences. I use EMDR therapy to help clients process past experiences and current triggers that can complicate the healing process.

Distressing experiences can “get stuck” in your body and mind and cause difficulties in how you move through the world.  Upsetting and traumatic experiences can continue to affect your life in many different ways for years to come, especially if the experience was sudden, remains unresolved, or if you feel emotional resistance to letting go of the trauma for any reason. EMDR therapy is a tool to help move you through “stuckness”.

My specialties

I support clients who are experiencing life transitions resulting in grief, loss, anxiety, relationship challenges, panic attacks, medical trauma, attachment trauma, job loss, procrastination, empty nest, intergenerational trauma, performance anxiety, sleep disturbances and other upsetting and stress-related issues that don't typically involve neglect, ongoing violence or addictions, but nonetheless result in ongoing significant distress.

Did you know?

From an EMDR perspective, a traumatic or upsetting experience can get stuck in your right brain. Your left brain goes offline and “spins”, blocking your ability to integrate the experience, as much as you may try to move forward, you feel stuck. A traumatic experience can range from a seemingly benign passing glance or teasing by a sibling to a plane crash. And any and everything in between that your nervous system perceives as unsafe.

Indicators that EMDR may be helpful.



Are you:

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please consult with a qualified mental health professional to explore whether EMDR therapy is a fit for your therapy goals.

When is it a good idea to consider EMDR therapy?

EMDR can help you get “unstuck”, and let go of any unconscious emotional blockages that have prevented you from moving on.

EMDR can be especially helpful if you:

  • Already tried traditional talk therapy with limited success

  • Are eager for tangible improvements in your everyday functioning, increasing your emotional space so that you’re able to take on the inconveniences and challenges that life presents.

  • Experienced an upsetting or traumatic event that is continuing to affect you.

What you can expect in EMDR therapy

EMDR therapy can lower the volume and lessen the charge of upsetting and traumatic experiences.

When you receive EMDR therapy, you will be instructed to concentrate on a distressing or traumatic memory or sensation and be gently guided to use Bilateral Stimulation, such as tapping or eye movements.

The key to the effectiveness of EMDR therapy is the dual consciousness of being fully engaged and aware in the current moment while simultaneously noticing past experiences using bilateral stimulation techniques. While this sounds simple, EMDR therapy is quite nuanced and should only be used under the guidance of a trained or certified EMDR therapist.

EMDR therapy can enable you to work through painful experiences calmly and safely. A large part of the preparation involves “resourcing”, which is a fancy word for learning relaxation and stress management techniques. Having a coping skills toolbox is essential for getting results in a safe and manageable manner. I teach resourcing techniques to all of my clients, regardless of whether they choose to engage in EMDR therapy.

While I’ll teach many resourcing techniques to help you prepare for EMDR processing, in the end, you’ll choose what feels best for you. Chances are, you already have one or two healthy coping methods that you’re currently using.

And if not, I will support you in developing skills, even if you feel like you’re not good at or disciplined enough.

For many clients, EMDR provides a framework to heal from past upsetting and traumatic experiences and get on with a more productive and fulfilling life.

What are some benefits of EMDR therapy?

EMDR therapy compared to traditional talk therapy

For many people:

  • Faster progress compared to traditional talk therapy.

  • Enables tangible gains for people who “got stuck” in traditional talk therapy.

  • Improves anxiety, fear, and PTSD.

  • Alleviates burnout.

  • Improves physical symptoms of trauma, such as pain and muscle tension.

  • Helps restore focus previously spent on the upsetting experience.

EMDR therapy is an evidence-based approach 

EMDR therapy has been recognized as an effective form of psychotherapy by the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs/Dept. of Defense, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the World Health Organization.

EMDR therapy isn't just for the "big stuff"

EMDR therapy isn't just for the "big stuff", but also seemingly benign experiences like hearing someone snicker when you enter or leave a room, a judgemental comment about your outfit or weight, a less than stellar performance review, a scolding car horn or even a lingering glance can get stuck in your nervous system. Some of these experiences will integrate into your left brain soon after and some will continue to linger, often feeding and growing a narrative that negatively affects your wellbeing. We can feel like we're in a loop - we get stuck in a neural pathway that keeps our left brain spinning.

EMDR therapy can integrate these experiences. When our right brain senses danger, it holds on to the experience, even after the moment has passed. EMDR helps these memories move from the right brain, along the corpus callosum to the left brain, where the experience integrates.

For example, a below-par performance review might bring up the negative belief, "I have to be perfect/please everyone". Further exploration can bring up the first time you remember feeling that way so that the earliest, worst, and recent memories will all be reprocessed and integrated.

EMDR therapy doesn't cause you to forget the memory, but rather lessens the charge, giving you distance and the ability to recall without feeling triggered.

Considerations before you start EMDR therapy

EMDR therapy is often faster, more effective, and more affordable than talk therapy – but you do need to budget for the cost of the sessions.

EMDR therapy in New York and Vermont

If you’re tired of having to live with the effects that upsetting and traumatic experiences have had on your life, EMDR therapy can help you heal. Whether your trauma has affected you physically, psychologically, or emotionally, you CAN heal and move forward!

Call today to schedule a complimentary consultation.

EMDR therapy is available in New York. EMDR in Vermont. Practical help for trauma and anxiety reduction online.

References

Juby, B., PsyD, A. G., & Raypole, C. (2023, February 14). Considering EMDR Therapy? What to Expect. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/emdr-therapy

Cahill, S., Carrigan, M., & Frueh, B. (1999). Does EMDR work? And if so, why?: a critical review of controlled outcome and dismantling research. Journal of anxiety disorders.

Gauhar, Y. (2016). The Efficacy of EMDR in the Treatment of Depression. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research.

Shapiro, F. (2014). The role of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in medicine: addressing the psychological and physical symptoms stemming from adverse life experiences. The Permanente journal.

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