Process trauma and distressing memories with EMDR therapy.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy. During a session, you focus on a specific memory, thought, or feeling while your therapist guides you through bilateral stimulation—commonly left-right eye movements, but also alternating taps or tones. This dual-attention process is thought to help the brain's natural information-processing system "unstick" a memory so it can be integrated the way ordinary, non-traumatic memories are, making it feel less immediate and overwhelming over time.

EMDR is grounded in the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, the theoretical framework EMDRIA describes as the basis for treatment: distressing experiences that weren't fully processed at the time can remain stored with their original emotions, sensations, and beliefs still attached, which is what triggers ongoing distress when the memory is activated later.

Clinically, EMDR isn't just the eye movements—it follows a defined eight-phase protocol set out by the EMDR International Association.

Throughout, you remain awake, present, and in control—EMDR doesn't involve hypnosis or having the therapist "put ideas" in your mind. You can pause, ask questions, or stop at any point, and the preparation phase exists specifically to make sure you have tools to manage distress if it comes up.

EMDR has the strongest research support for PTSD and is recognized as an effective trauma treatment by organizations including the WHO and APA; it's also used, with somewhat less evidence, for anxiety, depression, phobias, and grief.