When Talk Therapy Isn’t Enough, EMDR Helps the Brain Finally Let Go

You don’t have to keep reliving it. EMDR helps children, teens, and adults process trauma, anxiety, and overwhelming experiences so the past stops showing up in the present.

You might benefit from EMDR if you or your child:

Keep thinking about something stressful, even when you try not to
React strongly to situations that “shouldn’t” feel this intense
Feel stuck in anxiety, fear, or shutdown
Avoid certain places, people, or memories
Have big emotional reactions that don’t seem to match the moment
Struggle with nightmares, intrusive thoughts, or body tension
Say things like “I don’t know why I feel this way”
Have tried talking about it, but it hasn’t fully helped

What Is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is an evidence-based therapy that helps the brain process and store difficult experiences in a healthier way.

Instead of just talking about what happened, EMDR helps the brain:

Make sense of overwhelming experiences
Reduce emotional intensity
Shift negative beliefs (“I’m not safe” → “I’m okay now”)
Let the body come out of survival mode

Many clients say it feels like their brain is finally able to “digest” something that has been stuck for a long time.

How EMDR Helps the Brain Heal

Think of your brain like a filing system.

Most experiences get stored away correctly
Stressful or traumatic experiences can get “stuck”
When something reminds you of it, your brain reacts like it’s happening again

EMDR helps:

Reprocess the memory
Store it in the right place
Reduce emotional and physical reactions

Who We Help, and Who We Work With

Children

Big emotions, meltdowns, or shutdown
Separation anxiety
Trauma, grief, or medical experiences

Teens

Anxiety, panic, or school avoidance
Identity struggles and self-worth
Trauma, bullying, or social stress

Adults

Trauma and PTSD
Anxiety and chronic stress
Feeling stuck despite insight

Start the Healing Process

Meet our EMDR Therapists

Our office has therapists who have been trained in using the EMDR protocol. This EMDRIA-approved training provided these clinicians with the foundation and skills to integrate EMDR into their counseling practice. Upon completing the training, these clinicians are considered “EMDR trained.” In order to be certified, clinicians have to go through additional training, supervision/consultation, etc.

Mai Mailisi

Adults
Olivette
EMDR Trained

Katherine Schwenke

Adults
Saint Charles, Virtual
EMDR trained

Nancy Rickert

Teens/Adults
Saint Charles
EMDR trained

Eileen Henry

Teens & Adults
Saint Charles, Virtual
EMDR Trained

Haley Hamby, PLPC

Children, Adolescents & Young Adults
Saint Charles
EMDR Trained

Jennie Wilson

Children (Play Therapy)
Saint Charles
EMDR Certified
EMDR Consultant

Why Families With Children Choose EMDR with Step By Step Counseling

EMDR is a flexible, evidence-based approach that can be adapted for use with children. Although originally developed for adults with trauma, it has been shown to support children in processing a wide range of emotional and behavioral concerns. Many children respond well to EMDR, particularly when previous approaches have not led to meaningful change.

Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily engages cognitive processing, EMDR supports integration across multiple areas of the brain. This can help reduce the intensity of emotional reactions and support more adaptive responses to past experiences.

EMDR may not be appropriate in all situations. Medical conditions should be ruled out prior to treatment, and it is generally not recommended during active legal proceedings.

Caregiver involvement is essential. Children often rely on their caregivers for emotional support between sessions, and some parents may benefit from their own counseling during the process. Collaboration between caregivers and therapists can also support the development of a cohesive and supportive narrative around the child’s experiences.

Resources for Adults

EMDRIA Home Page

Wiki How – Prepare Yourself For EMDR Therapy

Ready to begin EMDR?

Frequently Asked Questions

What does EMDR stand for?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

What kind of problems can EMDR treat?

Research indicates that EMDR is effective in treatment traumas, and PTSD. However, many clinicians (and clients) have reported success in also working with:

Stress reduction
Pain disorders
Addictions
Anxiety (Phobias, Performance anxiety)
Disturbing memories
Abuse
Personality disorders

How is EMDR different from talk therapy

EMDR therapy is much more structured than typical talk therapy. The therapist will follow a protocol by asking you to visualize certain experiences, identify specific beliefs and emotions, and rate those beliefs and emotions on a scale. You will experience something called bilateral stimulation, which could include following the therapist’s fingers as they move back and forth, watching a light move back and forth, or having the therapist tap gently on your knees. You and your therapist will discuss all of this in detail before beginning EMDR.

Why would I want to bring up painful memories?

Many are afraid of confronting their painful memories in fear that it will make things worse for them. We, as professionals have found that when painful memories are avoided, they keep their power, their negative affect in our lives. Flashbacks and nightmares are upsetting and not helpful. In EMDR, the client can confront or face these tough memories in a safe place, not feeling as overwhelmed.

What happens if unexpectedly painful or scary memories come up during EMDR?

One of the first things you will do in EMDR Therapy includes coming up with ways to manage painful memories or emotions that might pop up inside and outside of the therapy session. Some people visualize a personal safe place, imagine using a container to hold their painful emotions, or identify a protective or supportive figure to help them with painful or scary memories and emotions.

How will I know EMDR is working?

In many cases, clients will experience less anxiety, fewer flashbacks or nightmares, better mood, as well as the ability to think about a traumatic event without feeling tension in his or her body. Your therapist will check in with you each session to see how you are feeling.

What can I expect to feel after each session of EMDR?

You might feel much less tension in your body, increased mood, and less anxiety after your EMDR session. Occasionally, painful memories or emotions might pop up between your therapy sessions, but your therapist will work with you closely to help you know what to expect and to develop ways to cope with those feelings.

Is EMDR safe during pregnancy?

It is up to the client and the therapist. We always recommend that our clients check in with their healthcare provider to determine if they are able to handle or tolerate the potential stress of processing. This is extremely important in clients who are in a high risk pregnancy to have that conversation with their physician to discuss the possibility of intense feelings.

Is EMDR similar to hypnosis?

EMDR is different from hypnosis in a few ways. The most important difference being with EMDR the client is fully conscious and aware during the entire process, putting them directly in the driver’s seat of their own therapy.

Will I be in control?

Absolutely, during EMDR, the client is always in control. IT can be hard to predict the feelings or thoughts or memories that might come up during session, however it is up to the client whether they continue with the process or stop in that moment. The client determines what is verbally said.

Will the therapist touch my eyes?

No. The therapist will not touch their client’s eyes, nor will the client touch their own eyes. This is a concern that many new clients have, they feel like the therapist will touch their eyes or somehow mess with their vision or eye sight. They fear it might be difficult for them to see clearly afterwards.

EMDR

The goal of EMDR therapy is to help clients process past experiences so they no longer interfere with the present. Because this work can bring up strong emotional and physical responses, it is important that EMDR is provided by a trained clinician who understands how to guide the process safely.

DEFINITION

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR therapy is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. Please visit EMDRIA for a more detailed explanation. According to EMDRIA, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy “is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches”

ORIGIN

In 1987 psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro made the chance observation that eye movements can reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts, under certain conditions. Initially, Dr. Shapiro called her model Eye movement desensitization (EMD). Dr. Shapiro studied the effects scientifically and 1989, she reported success using EMDR to treat survivors of trauma in the journal of traumatic stress.

Through the years, the focus of treatment changed from desensitization to include the multi-faceted impact of reprocessing all aspects of negative maladaptive information to adaptive healthy useful resolution.

HOW IT WORKS

EMDR is an 8 phase approach that focuses on integrating the past, present and future experiences. When a disturbing event occurs, it can get locked in the brain with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. This material can combine factual material with fantasy and with images that stand for the actual event or feelings about it. EMDR seems to stimulate the information and allows the brain to process the experience. That may be what is happening in REM or dream sleep – eye movements (tones or tactical) may help to process the unconscious material. It is your own brain that will be doing the healing, you are the one in control.

Your brain processes information every moment of the day. The goal of our brain & nervous system is to process information and move it into a learning process. As the brain goes through new experiences, it uses our past experiences as a template to understand and categorize or file those away. Our brain then processes new information and uses that to adapt to the new situation. Sometimes our experiences are too overwhelming and our brain is unable to process all of that information. That unprocessed, disturbing information is stored in our brains. When presented with similar situations, the overwhelm from that unprocessed memory is activated and the brain will experience that memory as if it’s happening again in the present moment. EMDR helps with disconnecting the old experiences and information in our brain from impacting the present moment. At some point, the client can say, “I am ok.”, “it’s all over with” or “I am safe now”

The end goal, with EMDR is to help your brain process that overwhelming or distressing information or experiences that are impacting you daily.

ENDORSEMENTS

EMDR method of trauma healing is endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization, and the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense.

EMDR is listed as an evidence-based approach and included in SAMHSA and the National Registry of Evidence-based programs and practices. EMDR has been validated by many randomized controlled clinical trials, and there are many stories validating its effectiveness.