Healing that goes deeper than words alone.
EMDR Therapy in San Diego
In-person EMDR therapy in San Diego, California.
Online EMDR therapy throughout California, Indiana, and Ohio.
Healing is possible, even if nothing else has worked.
EMDR is a type of therapy that helps your brain heal from overwhelming or traumatic experiences.
When something painful happens, your brain is usually able to process it and move forward. But sometimes, those memories get “stuck,” leaving you feeling like the past is still happening in the present.
Instead of discussing the details of what happened, EMDR utilizes techniques such as eye movements or tapping while we focus on those memories. EMDR helps your brain reprocess traumatic memories, so they lose their grip on you. The memory is still there, but it doesn’t feel as raw or overwhelming anymore.
In short: EMDR helps your brain file away painful experiences in the right place—so you can heal and move forward.
What is EMDR?
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With EMDR, the goal isn’t just to make tough memories feel less heavy—it’s to change the way those experiences live inside you. Many people carry around painful beliefs that stem from their past experiences, such as “I’m not good enough,” “I’m broken,” or “I can’t trust anyone.” EMDR helps untangle those messages and replace them with ones that feel true to who you are today—like “I am enough,” “I can heal,” and “I can choose who to trust.”
As your brain reprocesses what happened, the emotional charge softens, and the old story loses its grip. Clients often describe it as finally being able to breathe easier, feel more grounded, and approach life without the constant weight of the past.
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EMDR is a structured therapy, which means you’ll always know what we’re working on and why. It follows eight phases, but here’s what that looks like in plain language:
Getting ready: We’ll start by discussing your history, goals, and what you’d like life to feel like after therapy. You don’t have to dive into every detail right away—we go at your pace.
Building tools: Before we delve into painful memories, I’ll help you develop coping strategies so you feel grounded and safe during and between sessions.
Processing memories: When you’re ready, we’ll bring up a memory that feels stuck, along with the negative beliefs and emotions tied to it. While you hold that in mind, I’ll guide you through bilateral stimulation (like eye movements, tapping, or tones). EMDR Processing helps your brain heal from the memory so it no longer feels as raw.
Installing positive beliefs: As the old story softens, we’ll strengthen new, healthier beliefs about yourself—like “I am safe now,” or “I can trust myself.”
Wrapping up: Every session ends with grounding and calming skills to help you feel ready for the rest of your day.
EMDR can move more quickly than traditional talk therapy, but it isn’t a “quick fix.” Healing unfolds step by step, and I’ll guide you through the process with care so it feels safe and manageable.
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This process can be deeply transformative: instead of carrying wounds that quietly shape your choices, you get to move forward with more freedom, confidence, and peace. EMDR isn’t about forgetting what happened—it’s about healing so you can live without being defined by it.
EMDR can help you…
Heal from painful experiences so they no longer control your present.
Replace unhelpful, negative beliefs about yourself or the world with ones that support your healing and well-being.
Reduce the intensity of your triggers and emotional reactions.
Reconnect with a sense of safety, trust, and confidence.
Release the tension your body has been holding onto.
Strengthen your ability to handle stress in healthier ways.
Trust yourself to make decisions without constant self-doubt.
What can EMDR help with?
I use EMDR to support clients who are navigating:
Trauma & PTSD — combat, deployments, medical trauma, childhood abuse or neglect, accidents, assaults, and other overwhelming events.
Military & First Responder Stress — unique challenges faced by service members, veterans, firefighters, police, EMS, and healthcare workers.
Addiction & Recovery — addressing the memories, triggers, and shame that fuel substance use.
Anxiety & Panic — reducing the intensity of fear, worry, and “what if” thinking that feels out of control.
Negative Core Beliefs — shifting painful inner messages like “I’m not enough” or “I can’t trust myself.”
Perfectionism & Self-Criticism — healing the underlying wounds that keep you chasing impossible standards.
Relationship Wounds — betrayal, attachment injuries, or conflict patterns that feel hard to break.
Grief & Loss — finding relief when loss or complicated grief feels too heavy to carry alone.
Is EMDR right for you?
EMDR is a good fit for you if…
You’ve tried talk therapy but still feel stuck.
You’re carrying traumatic memories or experiences that you can't seem to let go of
Your body reacts as if the danger is still present, even though you know it's not.
You want relief without having to retell every detail of your story.
You're ready to heal but aren't sure how to move forward.
What we’ll work on:
You don’t have to keep living under the weight of
‘I’m not good enough.’
With EMDR, it’s possible to heal your wounds and realize,
‘I am enough.’
When talk therapy isn’t enough, EMDR helps you move forward.
Questions?
FAQs
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EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s an evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess traumatic or distressing experiences so they no longer feel as overwhelming.
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No. One of the benefits of EMDR is that you don’t need to go into every detail for it to work. You’ll know what memory we’re targeting, but you don’t have to describe it fully out loud unless you want to.
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Talk therapy focuses on processing experiences through conversation and insight. EMDR incorporates a structured process and bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, tapping, or tones) that helps the brain “unstick” traumatic memories and reprocess them. Many people find EMDR creates shifts more quickly than traditional therapy.
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EMDR is most known for treating PTSD and trauma. EMDR is also effective for anxiety, depression, grief, addiction triggers, performance anxiety, phobias, and negative core beliefs like “I’m not good enough.”
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The length of EMDR therapy depends on your goals and history. Some clients notice relief in just a few sessions, while others with complex trauma may work with EMDR over a more extended period. We’ll always move at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you.
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You may notice emotions, body sensations, or new insights as your brain reprocesses the memory. Some people feel tired afterward, others feel lighter—everyone’s experience is unique. We’ll check in often to make sure you feel grounded before leaving the session.
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Yes! EMDR can be just as effective online as in person. We can use tapping, eye movements on the screen, or other methods of bilateral stimulation that work seamlessly through telehealth.
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No—EMDR is not hypnosis. You remain fully awake, alert, and in control throughout the session. In hypnosis, the goal is often to enter a trance-like state. In EMDR, you remain present and aware while we use bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping) to help your brain reprocess distressing memories. You won’t lose control or do anything outside your awareness—instead, you’ll be actively engaged in the healing process the whole time.
