EMDR Therapy
Sometimes you can understand something intellectually, yet your body and emotions continue to react as though it is happening now.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, trauma-focused therapy that helps the brain process distressing experiences that may feel stuck.
EMDR therapy can be used to work with trauma, anxiety, difficult childhood experiences, and other experiences that continue to affect you in the present.
Rather than requiring you to talk about every detail of what happened, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or tapping, while you briefly connect with aspects of an experience.
Over time, this can help memories feel less emotionally charged and reduce the ways they continue to affect your present life.
Watch EMDRIA's brief video introduction to EMDR therapy.
EMDR therapy is available online across British Columbia and in person in Langford, BC.
Limited reduced-fee EMDR availability
I currently have two reduced-fee spaces available for online EMDR therapy.
These spaces are intended for adults who may be clinically appropriate for EMDR and who are suitable for online treatment across BC. An initial consultation and assessment are required before determining whether EMDR is an appropriate approach.
If you are interested in one of these spaces, you are welcome to contact me to ask about availability here.
My approach to EMDR
I have completed EMDR Basic Training and continue to develop my clinical experience through ongoing consultation and professional development.
My approach is paced and collaborative. You remain in control of what we work on and how quickly we move. We will not force you to revisit experiences before you are ready.
I offer EMDR therapy online across British Columbia and in person in Langford, serving clients in the Westshore and Victoria area.
What can EMDR help with?
EMDR can be helpful when past experiences continue to shape how you feel, think, react, or relate to yourself and others. Some examples, include:
Experiences that felt overwhelming or unsafe
This can include experiences such as accidents, medical experiences, violence, abuse, sexual trauma, natural disasters, or other events that left you feeling overwhelmed, frightened, or powerless.
Childhood trauma and difficult childhood experiences
Sometimes what continues to affect us is not one clearly defined event, but the accumulation of experiences growing up. This might include being frequently criticized, emotionally neglected, bullied, exposed to conflict, having to grow up too quickly, or feeling that you had to take care of other people's needs.
Attachment and relationship experiences
Early relationships can shape our expectations about ourselves and other people. EMDR may be helpful when you grew up feeling unseen, rejected, unsafe, responsible for others, or unsure whether your needs were acceptable. It can also be useful when past relationship experiences continue to influence trust, boundaries, closeness, or fears of abandonment.
Anxiety, fear, and feeling constantly on guard
Past experiences can leave the nervous system more sensitive to perceived threat.
EMDR may help when you find yourself overthinking, anticipating something going wrong, feeling easily overwhelmed, or reacting strongly to situations that remind you of earlier experiences.
Shame and self-criticism
Past experiences can leave behind painful beliefs such as “I'm not good enough,” “Something is wrong with me,” “I can't trust myself,” or “It's my fault.”
EMDR can be used to work with the experiences that contributed to these beliefs and the emotional reactions that maintain them.
Experiences that still feel present
You don't necessarily need to have a single traumatic event for EMDR to be relevant.
Sometimes you simply know that something from your past still has a strong emotional hold on you. You may understand that you are safe now, but your body, emotions, or reactions haven't quite caught up.
Complex trauma and repeated experiences
Complex trauma can develop through repeated or ongoing experiences of feeling unsafe, powerless, criticized, neglected, or emotionally overwhelmed, particularly during childhood or within important relationships.
Rather than being connected to one single event, these experiences can shape how you see yourself, how you relate to others, and how your nervous system responds to stress. EMDR can be adapted to work with these experiences gradually and at a pace that feels manageable.