EMDR Therapy for Trauma and Anxiety in Oklahoma and California
If certain memories still feel like they're happening right now instead of years ago, EMDR might be able to help – without asking you to relive every detail out loud, session after session.
What EMDR Is
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured approach that helps your brain finish processing memories that got "stuck" – usually something distressing or traumatic. Instead of talking through every detail, EMDR uses guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation while you focus briefly on the memory, which seems to help the brain file it away the way it processes ordinary memories, rather than staying raw and reactive.
What This Helps With
EMDR was originally developed for PTSD, and it's still one of the most well-researched treatments for trauma. Common reasons people use it include:
- Flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive memories that won't settle
- Feeling on edge or easily startled, even when nothing is currently wrong
- A specific memory that still feels like it's happening now instead of in the past
- Shame or self-blame connected to something that happened to you
- Anxiety connected to a past experience or memory
- Feeling stuck in talk therapy that's circled the same thing for years without it shifting
Why EMDR Works This Way
Talk therapy asks you to think differently about a memory. EMDR works a bit differently. While you briefly focus on the memory, you're also doing something else, guided eye movements or another back-and-forth stimulation, and that seems to make the memory less vivid and less emotionally charged. It's a bit like how it's hard to hold onto a strong feeling when your attention is split between two things at once. Researchers are still studying exactly why this works, but that's the leading explanation, and it's part of why a memory can start to feel like something that happened in the past instead of something still happening now.
What to Expect
Before we begin, I'll assess whether you're ready for EMDR, it's not the right starting point for everyone right away. If untreated anxiety, depression, or another condition is adding to emotional dysregulation, we may need to stabilize that first, sometimes with medication, sometimes with other therapeutic work. If you tend to feel highly dissociated, disconnected from your body or checked out under stress, we'll spend time building grounding and calming skills first, so you have a way back into your body before we ever touch the target memory.
We start slower than people expect – building safety and coping tools before we ever touch the target memory directly. Once we do begin reprocessing, most people describe it as intense but manageable, and often surprisingly fast compared to years of talking around the same thing.
What an EMDR Session Actually Looks Like
We'll start by checking in, how you've been since we last met, and whether anything new has come up. Together we'll confirm your grounding tools and calming imagery are still working for you, in case anything big surfaces, then choose the specific memory, image, or trigger we'll focus on that day.
From there, I'll ask you to picture the worst part of that memory, along with the negative belief attached to it and whatever emotion comes with it. You'll rate how disturbing it feels on a 0-to-10 scale, and how true a positive belief feels on a 1-to-7 scale, just so we have a baseline to track against.
Then we move into the bilateral stimulation itself, following my fingers with your eyes, alternating tones through headphones, or holding small vibrating tappers, while you hold the memory in mind. After each set, I'll simply ask what you're noticing now. You don't need to analyze or explain anything in depth here, your brain does the reprocessing on its own; we're just tracking what shifts.
This is also where the energy psychology side of my training comes in. Once the distress around the memory has dropped, we do a body scan together, checking from head to toe for any leftover tension, and often close with a safe-place visualization or grounding exercise so you leave feeling settled rather than activated.
If we fully process the memory in that session, we'll end on the positive belief, held alongside the bilateral stimulation, to help it settle in. If we run out of time before it's fully resolved, I'll guide you through a containment exercise to safely set it aside until next time, so you're not left carrying it home unprocessed.
Between sessions, it's normal for some processing to continue in the background, occasionally with a flashback or a vivid dream. The clearest sign it's working isn't a dramatic shift, it's that the memory keeps getting less vivid and less charged each time we check the number, until thinking about it feels more like remembering something than reliving it.
What Becomes Possible
Over time, many people notice the memory stops having the same grip. It doesn't disappear, but it starts to feel more like something that happened rather than something still happening. The physical reactions – panic, tension, feeling flooded – tend to ease. People often describe feeling lighter, more like themselves, and less controlled by something that happened in the past.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many sessions does EMDR usually take?
It varies a lot depending on what we're working on. A single distressing event can sometimes resolve in a handful of sessions, while more complex or repeated trauma takes longer.
Is EMDR only for PTSD?
No, I also use it for anxiety and other patterns where a specific memory or belief seems to be driving the distress.
Do you offer EMDR online?
Yes, all sessions are conducted through a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform.
Is EMDR backed by research?
Yes. EMDR is recommended for PTSD by major health organizations including the World Health Organization and NICE, and is supported by research including a Cochrane review and more recent studies comparing it to trauma-focused CBT. The evidence specifically for anxiety, apart from trauma, is less developed, so I tend to use EMDR for anxiety when it's connected to a past experience.
What does EMDR cost?
EMDR sessions are billed at the same rate as individual therapy, $175 per session. I also offer a free 15-minute phone consultation if you'd like to talk through whether EMDR might be a fit before booking a full session.