What Is EMDR Therapy and How Can It Help You Heal?
Have you ever felt stuck like something from the past keeps replaying, and no matter how much you talk about it, it just won’t go away?
Maybe it shows up as anxiety that feels bigger than the moment. Or shame that hits out of nowhere. Or maybe your body reacts—tight chest, racing heart, shutting down—and you can’t explain why.
When something overwhelming doesn’t get fully processed—especially in childhood or trauma—it doesn’t just “go away.” It lives on in your body and nervous system. That’s where EMDR comes in.
What Is EMDR, Really?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. (I know, it’s a lot of syllables.) But in simple terms, it’s a therapy that helps you finally move through what got stuck—emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Originally developed to treat combat trauma and PTSD, EMDR has now helped people around the world work through:
- Childhood trauma
- Anxiety and panic
- Grief and loss
- Phobias and triggers
- Shame and core beliefs like “I’m not safe” or “I’m not enough”
It helps you put the past where it belongs—in the past—so you can live more fully in the present.
How It Works
Here’s how I explain it to clients:
Imagine your brain is like a computer. When something overwhelming happens—especially early in life or without support—it’s like that moment stays open on your hard drive. You might not be thinking about it every day, but it’s running in the background, draining your system.
EMDR helps you close the file.
We use something called bilateral stimulation—which just means right-left, right-left movement. That could be:
- Following a finger or light with your eyes
- Holding little tappers that vibrate back and forth
- Using headphones with gentle tones that alternate sides
While that’s happening, we invite your system to connect to a belief, a memory, a body sensation—whatever feels most alive. And your brain starts to do what it didn’t get to do back then: process, release, and settle.
The memory doesn’t disappear. But the intensity? The stuckness? That starts to shift.
What You Don’t Need
You don’t need to remember every detail.
You don’t need to tell your whole story if that feels too vulnerable.
You don’t need to push yourself.
We go at your pace. We build safety first. And we make sure your nervous system feels supported the entire way.
What Starts to Change
Clients often say things like:
“It doesn’t hit as hard anymore.”
“I can talk about it without falling apart.”
“I feel calmer in my body.”
“I actually believe I’m safe now.”
You start responding instead of reacting.
You learn to stay with your feelings instead of numbing out or shutting down.
You come back home to yourself.
Is EMDR Right for Me?
If you’ve been talking about the same pain for years and still feel stuck...
If your body feels like it’s holding something you can’t quite name...
If the same triggers keep hijacking your peace...
EMDR might be worth exploring.
It’s not a quick fix—but it’s a powerful one. Especially when you're ready to show up for what’s been waiting to be healed.
One Last Thing
Healing doesn’t mean you’ll never get triggered again.
It means when you do, you’ll know how to come back to center.
You’ll know how to soothe, how to stay, how to move through.
You are worth the healing.
You are allowed to feel safe in your own body.
And you don’t have to carry it all anymore.
- Kristen D Boice M.A., LMFT, EMDR Trained
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