EMDR and Trauma Counseling

Stacy* had a rough childhood.

She made it through and, as an adult, has determined not to let her past define her and not to repeat the unhealthy patterns of her family.

On the outside, it seems like she’s managed to do just that. She has an enjoyable career and her own little family now. But she feels unhappy and stuck, sometimes reactive to her husband and girls for things that shouldn’t be a big deal.

Stacy feels scared that underneath it all, she’s still broken inside, and her best efforts at creating a different kind of life will never be enough to mask the trauma and pain of her youth.

Experiencing death haunts Nick*.

Nick was a happy, life-of-the-party college kid when something horrifying happened. His roommate didn’t come home one night and was later found dead after a party they both attended.

Guilt and shame plagued Nick for leaving the party without his friend, even though he saw how drunk he was. Based on some of the details of the night, the police questioned Nick and, later in court, received further questioning about his involvement in what happened.

Though his roommate’s death was over a decade ago, Nick finds himself having panic attacks at the sight of police, experiences difficulties in his job when his boss asks questions about his work, and frequently has disturbing dreams about his friend and the party. He doesn’t understand why he can’t move past what happened.

Emotional abuse stays with Britt*.

Britt recently married a great guy and has a lot of big dreams for her life. She feels hopeful in many ways but feels stuck and frozen in others. She was in an emotionally abusive relationship before she met TJ*, and she feels increasingly frustrated that the past doesn’t want to stay put.

TJ and her ex couldn’t be more different, but she keeps getting triggered by innocent things TJ says or does. It’s like a part of her brain thinks TJ is emotionally abusing her, even though another part of her brain knows that TJ is different.

Whenever she hears her ex’s first name, her body freezes. If TJ asks her a question about what she is doing that evening, her brain reacts, and her mouth follows.

Trauma has many causes.

All these clients have different traumas that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help resolve. EMDR is a therapeutic approach that allows the brain to process and put away memories or change negative patterns of belief about yourself to help you function better and feel better.

Some examples of negative thought patterns include, “I’m unlovable. I’m not safe. It’s my fault. I feel broken. I can’t trust myself.”

EMDR helps transform these thoughts into new beliefs that support your mental health, self-image, and how you show up in your relationship, job, and life.

Don’t let past trauma keep you in the past. EMDR has proven to help you reprocess that trauma and put it in the past where it belongs.

Here are statements from clients about how EMDR helped.

“Instead of powerless, I feel empowered!”

“This thing is crazy voodoo magic, and I’m not complaining!”

“I didn’t think it was possible for me not to dread going to work every morning.”

“I feel like a weight has been lifted off of me that I’ve been carrying around my whole life.”

*Stacy, Nick, and Britt represent compilations of experiences from previous clients.