EMDR Therapy in Sacramento
What Is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is an evidence-based psychotherapy originally developed by psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro for the treatment of trauma and distressing life experiences.
When something painful or overwhelming happens, the experience may not always be fully processed. Memories can remain connected to the emotions, physical sensations, fears, and beliefs that were present when the experience occurred.
Years later, something happening in the present may activate that same emotional network. You may find yourself feeling anxious, shutting down, overthinking, people-pleasing, fearing rejection, or reacting more strongly than the current situation seems to warrant.
EMDR helps your brain reprocess these experiences so they no longer carry the same emotional intensity. The memory doesn't disappear, but the way it affects you can change—helping you feel less controlled by old triggers and more able to respond from a place of safety, confidence, and choice.
EMDR’s Effectiveness Is Unmatched
Since its development by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy has become the go-to treatment method for addressing a wide range of complex problems. Numerous well-known organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the US Department Of Veteran Affairs, and the World Health Organization recognize the profound healing power of EMDR.
Because it’s so flexible, EMDR can be used to treat trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, attachment wounds, and negative core beliefs (among other things). And it’s been proven to create long-lasting results that go far beyond just symptom management.
What Can EMDR Therapy Treat?
EMDR is best known as a treatment for trauma and PTSD, but it can also be helpful when past experiences continue to influence how you feel, respond, and relate to others today.
In my practice, I often use EMDR with clients who may not identify with having experienced one major traumatic event. Instead, they may carry the effects of repeated criticism, emotional neglect, difficult family relationships, betrayal, rejection, or growing up with an emotionally immature or narcissistic parent.
EMDR may be helpful for:
Trauma and PTSD – including painful or overwhelming experiences that continue to cause distress
Childhood and attachment wounds – experiences of emotional neglect, rejection, criticism, abandonment, or inconsistent caregiving
Narcissistic and emotional abuse – including gaslighting, manipulation, chronic invalidation, and loss of trust in yourself
Anxiety and persistent fear – particularly when current situations trigger strong emotional or physical reactions connected to earlier experiences
Relationship trauma and betrayal – including infidelity, abandonment, difficult breakups, or painful relationship experiences
Low self-worth and negative core beliefs – such as “I'm not good enough,” “I don't matter,” “I'm unlovable,” or “Something is wrong with me”
People-pleasing and difficulty setting boundaries – especially when saying no or disappointing someone creates guilt, fear, or anxiety
Grief and loss – when aspects of a loss remain particularly distressing or difficult to process
Distressing memories and emotional triggers – when you understand that something happened in the past but your mind or body continues to react as though the threat is still present
Sometimes the Problem Isn't the Present Situation—It's What the Present Situation Activates
A disagreement, criticism, someone's tone of voice, feeling excluded, or sensing that someone is disappointed in you may trigger a reaction that feels much bigger than the situation itself.
EMDR can help identify and process the earlier experiences connected to those reactions so that you have greater freedom in how you respond today.
The goal isn't to erase your past. It's to help your past have less power over your present.
What Does The EMDR Therapy Process Look Like?
EMDR is broken down into eight phases—a process that allows both the client and counselor to measure progress and adjust treatment as needed. What Happens During EMDR Therapy?
EMDR is more than simply talking about what happened. It is designed to help you work with the memories, emotions, beliefs, and body responses that may still be connected to difficult experiences from your past.
We begin by understanding what is happening in your life today. Maybe you become overwhelmed by conflict, struggle to set boundaries without guilt, feel anxious when someone is upset with you, or notice that rejection and criticism affect you more deeply than you would like. Together, we explore how these present-day reactions may connect to earlier experiences and identify what you would like to change.
Before beginning deeper processing, we focus on preparation. You'll learn grounding and emotional regulation strategies that you can use both during EMDR and in your everyday life.
During the processing phase, you'll briefly focus on a specific memory or experience along with the thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations associated with it. At the same time, you'll engage in bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating tapping.
You remain fully present and in control throughout the process. You don't have to tell me every detail of what happened, and you can pause at any time.
As processing continues, the way you experience the memory may begin to shift. Something that once triggered intense anxiety, shame, fear, or self-doubt may start to feel more distant and less emotionally charged.
EMDR doesn't change what happened. It can change how what happened continues to affect you.
The goal is for the past to take up less space in your present—so you can respond to relationships, boundaries, conflict, and everyday life with greater confidence, choice, and emotional freedom.
The 8 Phases Of EMDR
Phase 1 – Assessing personal history and developing a treatment plan. Instead of just jumping right into EMDR sessions, I first help you to understand your trauma, the functions that specific triggers have, and why some memories or stimulations are so strong.
Phase 2 – Learning self-calming techniques. To help you process painful memories, manage overwhelming emotions, and navigate triggers better, you’ll learn valuable coping skills that you can use before, during, and between sessions.
Phase 3 – Guided visualization of memories. When you’re ready, I’ll have you recall a memory, image, belief, or bodily sensation associated with trauma or a negative life experience.
Phase 4 – Desensitization through Dual Attention Bilateral Stimulation. While you’re reflecting on the memories (thoughts, feelings, etc.) related to the traumatic experience, I will begin using bilateral stimulation techniques. This usually takes the form of rapid eye movements, shifting tones, or alternating tapping. And as this is happening, I’ll ask you to describe your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.
Phase 5 – Reprocessing the traumatic memory and integrating positive ideas. At this point, I’ll begin focusing on helping you make positive adjustments in your thoughts, feelings, and general mindset related to your experience.
Phase 6 – Body scan for residual physical symptoms. This step involves identifying and reducing any lingering bodily discomfort that may still be connected to your disturbing memory.
Phase 7 – Relaxation and debriefing. At the end of the EMDR session, I help you return to a state of emotional balance and ease out of session. That means assessing your existing self-regulation skills, determining if you need additional support, and encouraging you to document any issue that may come up later.
Phase 8 – Reevaluating overall progress and adjusting target memories. At this time, we’ll measure progress together and begin identifying targets for any following sessions.
Through this process, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your trauma while fundamentally changing how you respond to emotions, triggers, and reminders of the past.
How You Benefit From EMDR Therapy
In some ways, you can think of emotional suffering as a splinter under the skin. If you remove the foreign body, healing begins. But if that splinter gets ignored and irritated on a daily basis, the pain grows. Trauma is like that splinter—except it’s a wound stored in the mind and body that ultimately changes how you think, feel, and function in the world.
While most traditional therapeutic approaches focus on managing symptoms and modifying behaviors, EMDR works on a neurological level, creating real, lasting change.
Rather than treating surface issues, EMDR gets to the heart of the matter and removes that splinter instead of putting a bandage on it. Basically, this robs traumatic memories and experiences of their emotional charge—and all without forcing you to relive painful (possibly retraumatizing) moments from the past.
EMDR Is A Holistic Approach To Treatment
EMDR takes a holistic approach by recognizing that difficult experiences can affect your thoughts, emotions, beliefs, physical responses, relationships, and nervous system. It is based on the understanding that the brain has a natural ability to process experiences and move toward healing, much like the body naturally works to heal after an injury.
Sometimes trauma or overwhelming experiences can disrupt this natural processing, leaving memories and emotional responses feeling “stuck.” EMDR helps support the brain’s natural healing process, allowing distressing experiences to be reprocessed and integrated in a healthier way.
EMDR also integrates well with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Integrated Attachment Theory (IAT). Together, these approaches can help you identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns, understand the attachment wounds and core beliefs underlying your reactions, and process the experiences that helped create them—supporting deeper, more lasting change.
Let Us Help You Transform Your Life
Regardless of what you’re going through, the depth, scope, and effectiveness of EMDR as a treatment strategy can help you transform your life in amazing ways. So if you’re tired of being burdened by the past and are hoping that EMDR treatment is right for you, we invite you to contact us and find out more about how our experience as a specialist in this field may be able to help you.
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