EMDR Therapy

What does trauma look like?

Do you feel a uneasy, anxious, and like something bad is always just around the corner even though your life is good on paper?

Maybe you feel like you always have to protect against something bad happening, so you over work or over commit yourself in order to cover all your bases.
And you’re exhausted from the loneliness of seeming to have it all together on the inside and feeling anxious and on edge on the inside.
Though you may not be thinking about trauma everyday, trauma gets stored in our bodies and can cause us to feel lonely and like we’re never measuring up. EMDR therapy can help. 

What is trauma?

Trauma is a distressing or frightening event that causes us to feel unsafe, helpless, or unable to function or cope normally after the event. Sometimes we can heal from traumatic experiences naturally. However, sometimes, our brain can get ‘stuck’ after a trauma and we continue feeling unsafe for many months or years. Many women hold on to trauma, and it can present in many different ways.

Some of us who have experienced trauma feel stuck in our lives. Trauma can make it seem impossible to live in the present moment, connect with others, sleep, hope for the future, or like ourselves. When we have experienced trauma, we often spend a lot of energy trying to push away intrusive thoughts, but we still experience unpleasant memories or nightmares. Additionally, we may also spend a lot of energy trying to preemptively anticipate things falling apart, or being hurt or abandoned. EMDR can support you as you process your experience and help you create a life that isn’t limited by the past.

You can get relief from your trauma without re-living it.

Have you tried traditional talk therapy, but not seen the change you were hoping for? You’ve read all the self-help books, maybe even been to therapy for, and often are acting as the therapist to your friends and co-workers because you know all the things are supposed to help.
And yet, you’re still struggling with internalizing the skills, knowledge, and advice yourself. You wish there was a way to go deeper in your therapeutic process and remove all the blocks and barriers to you making the changes you’ve been wanting for so long. That’s where EMDR comes in.

EMDR

EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. It is an evidenced based modality that can help with PTSD, anxiety, depression, phobias, self esteem, and feeling comfortable in our bodies. Francine Shapiro writes, “A substantial amount of research indicates that adverse life experiences may be the basis for a wide range of psychological and physiologic symptoms. EMDR therapy research has shown that processing memories of such experiences results in the rapid amelioration of negative emotions, beliefs, and physical sensations” (from this article).

While doing EMDR, you will learn about trauma’s effect on our brains and bodies, learn relaxation strategies, and process trauma in a safe space. EMDR therapy has 8 stages: History taking, client preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure and reevaluation.

History Taking

Together, we will discuss your specific trauma symptoms, as well as what trauma looks like. We will compile a brief, non-detailed list of the traumatic events in your life and how disturbing each event is to you. The point of this history taking is not to re-process trauma–rather, it is to give you an idea of what you may want to work on as you begin treatment and how various traumas may be affecting you.

Preparation

Before processing your trauma together, we will make sure you feel safe and supported by practicing using tools to ground your body and mind. We will develop a safe place for you to go to in your mind, and practice some exercises to help you relax your body. We will compile resources that feel helpful for you specifically, and we won’t move on to the next stages until you feel ready.

Assessment

To get started with the re-processing phase, we will learn more about the specific trauma you’d like to work on, negative beliefs you may have about yourself as a result of this trauma, what belief you’d like to have about yourself instead, and how and where you feel disturbance in your body. We will also see if this trauma is linked to past traumas from childhood.

Desensitization

Using what’s called “bilateral, dual attention stimulation,” you will begin to process through the trauma in your body. During online EMDR therapy (for Colorado and Florida residents), you will watch a ball move back and forth across the screen (and/or listen to a sound) as you feel into the sensations in your body. The bilateral stimulation is done in a series of sets that last around 15-30 seconds. After each set of eye movements, you will take a deep breath and say a little about what came up for you during the set. The bilateral stimulation can start to become desensitized to the trauma and store the event as a long term memory that no longer disturbs us.

Installation

Once the memory, belief, or sensation is no longer disturbing to you, we will work on ‘installing’ the positive belief you want to have about yourself into your body using the bilateral dual attention stimulation. We will keep letting this belief grow inside of you until it can’t get any bigger.

Body Scan

Once you are no longer disturbed by the event and you fully believe the positive belief you’d like to have about yourself, you will scan your body for any lingering discomfort, tension, or uncomfortable sensations. If any discomfort remains, we will process through that until it is gone.

Closure

We will complete a ‘mental movie’ and think of a time when you’d like to be able to apply the positive belief in an upcoming situation and process how you’d like to do that. We will discuss how you can manage any thoughts, symptoms or uncomfortable sensations between sessions.

Reevaluation

We will check in on how effective the treatment is for you and the next course of action.

I was trained in EMDR at the Maiberger Institute. Learn more about EMDR by visiting the Maiberger Institute website or the Emdria Website.
If you have questions about EMDR therapy or would like to schedule a free, 20 minute consultation, please reach out.

EMDR Therapy And Deep Healing

EMDR therapy can offer a transformative path to healing, especially for high-achieving women like you who are often navigating the weight of perfectionism, anxiety, and overthinking. It’s not a quick fix, but it offers a unique way to rework the deep, sometimes unseen patterns that keep you stuck in cycles of worry and stress.

As you embark on the process, you may begin to notice subtle shifts in how you feel—less weighed down by past events, more present in your day-to-day life, and more at ease in your body. With EMDR, we work together to process traumatic memories, reducing the grip they have on you, so that you can experience more peace in your thoughts and emotions.

Rather than offering a promise of a specific outcome, the goal of EMDR is to gently guide you back to a place where you can trust yourself again, to help you reconnect with the parts of you that feel lost or overwhelmed. It’s a way to unravel the tension that keeps you in a constant state of doing and thinking, and make space for the life you truly want to live.

While everyone’s journey with EMDR is different, many find that it helps them stop living on autopilot, giving them the emotional freedom to make decisions from a place of clarity and self-trust, rather than fear. It’s not about fixing you—it’s about helping you heal in a way that allows you to feel more aligned with who you are, and who you want to become.

There’s no rush, no pressure. The hope is that through this work, you’ll find relief, reconnect with your inner strength, and gain the ability to move forward with more ease and confidence in yourself and your life.

If you have questions about EMDR therapy or would like to schedule a free, 20 minute consultation, please reach out.

Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR Therapy

How does EMDR Therapy work?

During our work together, I’ll guide you through a series of questions to help access difficult experiences and explore what healing might look like for you. We’ll use brief sets of bilateral stimulation, like eye movements or tapping, to help your brain process these experiences. You’ll share any changes you notice along the way as your brain works through the emotions and memories. We’ll continue this process until the distress decreases and you feel a greater sense of calm and positive connection to the experience.

A lot of people enjoy doing EMDR from the comfort of their own home, where they can have supportive things like pets, loved ones, or favorite objects close by. Online EMDR is just as effective as in-person sessions and in some cases can be even more effective!

I use a HIPAA-compliant platform called Active EMDR. It allows us to set up a visual stimulus on your screen that you can track back and forth to support the process. If you prefer, you can also engage in self-tapping.

EMDR can be adapted in different ways depending on what you’re working through, your current coping skills, and the support you have in place. I always work with any resistant or scared parts of my clients to get them feeling safe and on board before diving head on into processing old trauma.

Even if we don’t dive into full EMDR right away, there are pieces of the process that can still be really helpful.

We’ll begin with a free 20-minute consultation to meet and see how we connect.

I believe the connection between therapist and client is key to meaningful therapy. If either of us feels it’s not the right fit, I’ll be happy to share referrals to help you find someone who is.

If we do decide to work together, we’ll schedule a 50-minute initial session and take it from there!

The length of EMDR therapy really depends on your unique needs and goals. I’ve worked with trauma survivors for both shorter periods (6–8 sessions) and longer-term work (20+ sessions). Most people feel some relief in 6-8 EMDR therapy sessions.

Approaches like EMDR and IFS often help people find relief faster than traditional talk therapy.

Some clients come to address a specific event and may finish therapy in a shorter timeframe, while others prefer ongoing support to process multiple traumas or to have a safe space to return to when life feels overwhelming or triggering. It’s all about what works best for you.

Talk therapy can feel like tidying up the surface of a cluttered room—it helps create a sense of order and relief in the moment.

EMDR therapy, however, is like opening up the drawers and closets to organize the hidden chaos. It addresses the underlying issues that have been stored away, bringing true clarity and lasting healing.

Clients often describe EMDR as “life-changing” and “transformative.”

Healing deep rooted trauma is an investment. Sessions start at $250 per 50 minute session. I also offer EMDR intensives to fast track your trauma healing. We can do these intensives once a week or once a month, or they can be combined with weekly therapy sessions. 100 minute intensives are $600 and 150 minute sessions are $900.

EMDR therapy is a versatile and effective treatment for a range of mental health challenges, including:

Anxiety: Helping to reduce persistent worry and regain control over intrusive thoughts.

Depression: Addressing the root causes of depressive symptoms and unprocessed experiences that contribute to low mood.

PTSD and Complex Trauma: Processing traumatic events in a way that reduces their emotional impact and integrates them into a healthier narrative.

Phobias: Gradually desensitizing intense fears and allowing for more functional responses to triggers.

Panic Attacks: Alleviating the intensity and frequency of overwhelming episodes by addressing the underlying triggers.

EMDR doesn’t just treat symptoms—it gets to the core of emotional distress, making it an empowering option for those seeking deeper, long-lasting healing. Whether you’re dealing with ongoing stress, unprocessed memories, or patterns of behavior that feel stuck, EMDR can offer a pathway to relief and transformation.

Every person’s experience with EMDR is unique, and no two sessions are the same. During the processing phase, you might feel a range of emotions tied to the memory we’re working with.

Thoughts, images, and physical sensations may also come up. Your role is simply to notice what’s happening, and from there, your brain and body will naturally do the work of reprocessing. You will remain awake, aware, and fully supported throughout the session. I’ll be there to guide you, helping you stay grounded in the present while gently exploring the past.

As the processing unfolds, you’ll notice your relationship to the original memory shift. The discomfort—whether emotional, mental, or physical—will begin to fade.

When the process is complete, you’ll be able to recall the memory from a place of emotional distance. It will feel like the past is truly in the past, often bringing relief, calm, and comfort, along with a sense of self-acceptance and empowerment.

Choosing between weekly and intensive EMDR therapy depends on your personal needs and preferences. Here’s a breakdown of each option:

Weekly EMDR Therapy:

Steady and consistent progress over time

Gradual healing that unfolds across multiple weeks or months—allows yout o have breaks between sessions and integrate the work you’re doing

Best for those who appreciate routine, need ongoing support, or prefer a slower, more steady pace

Intensive EMDR Therapy:

Fast-paced, focused work that targets deeper healing in a short period of time

Significant progress in a condensed timeframe (usually multiple hours over 1-2 days)

Ideal for those with tight schedules who want quicker results or those looking to make faster headway in their healing journey

Great for those who have done trauma work and therapy in the past and feel that they have a lot of tools already

During your free consultation, we’ll talk about which approach feels like the best fit for you. We can also explore a hybrid option that combines weekly sessions with occasional intensive ones, if that works better for you.

The results of EMDR therapy can vary for each person, as everyone’s healing journey is unique. However, many people notice significant changes as they work through their trauma.

For some, a major shift is that they no longer feel triggered by past events. The intense emotional reactions and flashbacks that once made them feel stuck may fade away, allowing them to move through life with more ease. This often leads to being able to focus on other important aspects of life—things like work, hobbies, and relationships—that trauma symptoms may have kept them from fully enjoying or engaging with before.

Another common outcome is a decrease in self-criticism. Many people find they are kinder to themselves, letting go of the harsh inner voices that once made them feel unworthy or incapable. With trauma no longer holding them back, they may also feel a deeper sense of connection to themselves and those around them, strengthening their relationships in the process.

While results vary, many people experience a sense of relief, clarity, and empowerment as they heal, allowing them to live with more peace and a renewed sense of possibility.

I completed my basic EMDR training in 2019 and completed a program to become certified as an EMDR provider in 2020. Continuing education and giving my clients the best care possible is incredibly important to me. I regularly complete advanced trainings in EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and Polyvagal Theory. Additionally, I received monthly consultation to strengthen my skills as and EMDR therapist. I was trained in EMDR at the Maiberger Institute. Learn more about EMDR by visiting the Maiberger Institute website or the Emdria Website.

EMDR therapy is backed by a growing amount of research showing its effectiveness in treating trauma and related mental health issues. Studies consistently show that EMDR can help reduce symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other trauma-related concerns.

One of the strongest pieces of evidence comes from research that demonstrates how EMDR helps reprocess traumatic memories, which reduces the emotional intensity attached to them. This can allow people to feel more at peace with their past and experience less distress when thinking about difficult memories.

EMDR is also supported by major organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Department of Veterans Affairs, all of which recognize it as an evidence-based treatment for PTSD. These groups endorse EMDR as a highly effective tool for trauma recovery.

Additionally, many clients find that EMDR leads to faster results compared to traditional talk therapy, with significant improvements often reported after just a few sessions.

Overall, the research shows that EMDR can be a powerful and effective way to heal from trauma, improve mental health, and help people take back control of their lives.

Learn about how EMDR works by watching this video from EMDRIA.

You don’t have to live with overthinking, feeling on edge, or feeling alone. My online Colorado therapy practice specializes in helping women who are ready to heal from trauma.  To start your counseling journey, follow these simple steps:

  1. Contact Emma at Mindful Counseling, Denver
  2. Meet with Emma for an intake session
  3. Start writing a new story and leaving trauma behind you

Other Counseling Services at Mindful Counseling, Denver

EMDR Therapy isn’t the only service I offer at my online, Colorado therapy practice. Other mental health services Mindful Counseling, Denver provides include Feminist Counseling, anxiety therapy, and Trauma Therapy.