online emdr in texas
EMDR therapy for adults struggling with trauma, phobias, anxiety, & distressing memories
You know it's over, but remnants still linger. Maybe it's the accident that replays every time you get in the car. Or the phobia that keeps shrinking your world. Or a birth that didn't go how it was supposed to, and now you can't stop thinking about it.
EMDR helps your brain file these experiences away as past, so they stop running your present. I offer EMDR online for Texans, so you can respond to your life with more freedom and less fear.
Does this sound familiar?
You replay the event, or react in your body as if it's happening again
You avoid certain situations (like driving, flying, or medical appointments) that you know will send your anxiety through the roof
You've talked it through (maybe even with a therapist) and it still feels stuck
You're exhausted from being on high alert and telling yourself to "move on"
You're a capable, high-functioning person and can't understand why this still has such a strong grip on you
This isn't weakness or overreacting, it's how your brain stores an experience that felt overwhelming. It also explains why insight and willpower alone can't fix it.
Relief from trauma that won’t stay in the past.
Have you ever thought of something upsetting and suddenly feel like you’re reliving it all over again? You replay events or conversations over and over until you’re spiraling and freaking out.
Maybe you overreact to things or keep making harmful decisions and don’t understand why, especially when you know what to do.
When you experience something upsetting, it can get locked in your brain with the original images, thoughts, sounds, feelings, and body sensations.
Because your brain can’t properly process and integrate that information, you continue to re-experience it as though it’s still happening now.
This is why it can be so hard to forget about or “get over” something: your brain won’t let you! Thankfully, your icky symptoms don’t have to stick around forever.
EMDR therapy releases stuck memories to reduce the volume of your symptoms so you can understand, heal, and move on.
Concerns I specialize in Treating:
I have extensive experience helping adults recover from upsetting and distressing memories. Here are some of the issues I work with:
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A car accident. Witnessing something violent. A sudden loss or death. A frightening medical emergency. One moment can change how safe the world feels.
Because these experiences have a clear beginning, middle, and end, many people respond well to focused EMDR. Clients often tell me they want to:
Drive, ride, or walk past the scene without their heart pounding
Sleep through the night without nightmares
Stop replaying "what if I had…"
Feel like themselves again
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Flying, driving, needles, vomiting, storms, dogs, elevators. Phobias can feel irrational, but your brain learned that fear for a reason, often from a specific memory that's still stored with the original alarm attached.
EMDR goes after the root of the fear instead of teaching you to white-knuckle through it. Many people find that the thing that once caused panic starts to feel totally manageable.
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You're allowed to grieve a birth that felt frightening, out of control, or dismissive of you, even if everyone says "but you and baby are healthy."
Birth trauma can show up as intrusive images, anger, dread around medical settings, difficulty bonding, or fear of another pregnancy. EMDR gives you a way to process what happened without having to minimize it or relive it.
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I also treat PTSD symptoms like nightmares, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts, along with grief, panic, and anger tied to difficult experiences.
If your concern isn't listed here, reach out and we can talk it through.
How does EMDR work?
EMDR stands for Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing:
Eye-movement: bilateral stimulation (either eye movements or tapping) while you briefly focus on the memory. This activates your brain's natural healing process so the memory can be stored as what it is: something that happened, and is over
Desensitization: this decreases the intensity of your memory and releases that information from your nervous system so it loses its emotional charge
Reprocessing: we install healthier, more adaptive self-beliefs to create a template for responding to similar situations in the future
You’ll be desensitized to your memory, which changes the way you experience it in the present. Without those symptoms dominating your experience, your brain can find new insight and information.
This allows you to make decisions based on what matters to you, not your symptoms.
What Relief Can look like
Everyone's different, but here's what my clients often hope for and notice after EMDR:
Your body calms down: less jumpiness, dread, and tightness when reminded of the event
Better sleep: fewer nightmares and 3 a.m. replays
Your world feels less small: you return to driving, flying, appointments, and places you'd been avoiding
You stop arguing with yourself: the "I should be over this" loop quiets down
You feel present: you can enjoy your life more, without part of your mind stuck in that moment
You trust yourself again: you make choices based on what matters to you, not your symptoms
What are the 8 phases of EMDR?
History & Background: We talk about what's showing up now and what you want your life to look like, and identify the memories driving your symptoms. We’ll then collaboratively decide what to focus on first. For many clients, this can be done in 1-2 sessions.
Phase 1
Preparation & Resourcing: I explain exactly how EMDR works and teach you calming and containment skills. You always have control and can pause at any time. Most clients are able to proceed to processing after only 1-2 sessions of preparation (please note: extensive trauma histories may take a bit longer).
Phase 2
Memory Reprocessing: We use bilateral stimulation (eye movements or tapping) to desensitize and reprocess your memory using your brain’s natural healing process. Processing is done when the memory no longer bothers or upsets you. We then install positive self-beliefs (what you prefer to feel about yourself).
Phases 3-6
Closure & Future Templates: We check your progress, then decide whether to target another memory or build a "future template" for handling similar situations. Note that the first memory usually takes the longest, and subsequent memories are processed much more quickly (sometimes within 1-2 sessions).
Phases7-8
Common Concerns about starting EMDR
Do I have to tell you everything?
There’s no need! EMDR targets your symptoms, and doesn’t require a perfect retelling. You share only what you notice in the present moment.
What if I get overwhelmed?
The prep phase will make sure you have tools to steady yourself. We also won't process anything until you and your nervous system are ready.
Can EMDR really work online?
Yes! Research supports it, and many clients find it easier to process in the comfort of their own space. I'll walk you through the setup in our first session.
emdr therapy
Ready to Feel Like the Past Is Actually in the Past?
You don't have to keep white-knuckling through it. Let's talk about whether EMDR is right for you. I offer a free 15-minute consultation to answer any questions and to see if we're a good fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The first session is a chance for you to fill me in on your lived experience, and what your hopes and goals are for therapy. I often recommend jotting down a few notes beforehand if you’re unsure of what you’d like to address.
We’ll collaboratively decide what to work on and I’ll give you some helpful tools to practice between sessions.
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I work with adults struggling with:
Anxiety and Panic
Phobias
Single-event trauma like car accidents or birth trauma
Grief
Anger
PTSD symptoms (such as nightmares or intrusive thoughts).
If you have a concern that falls outside of these issues, please reach out for a free consultation call to discuss further.
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Weekly EMDR sessions are recommended to make consistent progress towards your goals.
Once we begin reprocessing a memory, large gaps between sessions means potentially losing valuable connections and memory networks, and impedes progress.
If we’re not actively processing a memory, we can be much more flexible with frequency.
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The amount of time depends on what you’re going through and is different for everyone.
Single-event traumas often respond in fewer sessions than complex trauma.
Some clients choose to work on as many memories as needed in order to feel the full effects of EMDR. Other clients elect to work on only one.
After each memory is processed, we’ll collaboratively decide which memory to work on next or if the work feels complete.
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Yes! I offer EMDR as a standalone treatment and adjunct to talk therapy. If you already have a therapist, I’ll have you sign a release for me to share information with them to provide continuity of care.
Many of my clients utilize EMDR for specific issues like a recent accident, traumatic incident (like birth trauma), or a phobia, while also having a therapist to process everything else.
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You don’t need to fully remember something to process it since we’re targeting the symptoms and not the content.
Your memories and experiences are already in your brain, and EMDR taps into your brain’s natural healing process in a controlled manner.
You’ll observe what happens in the present moment, so there’s no need to remember things accurately.
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Check out my in-depth blog post answering the most common questions about EMDR to see if this treatment is the right fit for you.
You can also fill out the form to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call. I offer online sessions for TX and FL residents.
Still have more questions? Reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call to get all your questions answered.
