EMDR Therapy for Anxiety and Trauma

Anywhere in New York and California

For high-functioning women tired of being stuck.

Are you tired of doing talk therapy and still feeling stuck?

You may understand why you have "good girl" patterns of people-pleasing, perfectionism, and over-responsibility. However, you're still finding yourself stuck with the same emotional reactions, anxiety, and relationship dynamics.

That's because trauma and protective patterns don't heal from insight alone. They are stuck in the body, nervous system, and subconscious.

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a science-backed technique that helps your brain and body process unresolved experiences into a healthier framework so they no longer feel overwhelming, triggering, and present-day.

At Clairsentience Holistic Therapy, EMDR therapy is offered gently and intentionally, with a paced approach integrated with nervous system regulation, emotional acceptance, and self-kindness.

The traditional approach of talk therapy is changing

Many people show up in the virtual sofa across from me after years of talk therapy, self-reflection, and personal growth. However, they still complain of problems with:

  • Emotional reactions that are larger than a situation warrants

  • Dropping everything for others at their own expense

  • Anxiety that doesn't respond to logic

  • Guilt when setting boundaries or taking time for self-care

  • Decision paralysis caused by perfectionism and self-doubt

  • Taking on too many responsibilities knowing they will burn out

  • Never feeling "good enough"

This isn't failure. It's the failure of talk therapy. Insight and awareness only get you so far because trauma and conditioned patterns don't live in the thinking brain. They are stuck in the body and nervous system.

EMDR helps bypass your brain's defense mechanisms and heal the root of your trauma. While keeping your nervous system calm, this approach accesses the stuck experiences and integrates them into a healthier framework. You'll no longer react as if the past is still happening. You'll no longer repeat the same patterns.

EMDR therapy offers next level healing and transformation

You've done the talking. You've done the reflecting. Yet, something still feels off. EMDR offers deep healing that gets at the root, so you can finally shed the past experiences and the "good girl" conditioning. You can move forward with hope, empowerment, and self-trust.

How does EMDR therapy work?

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy involves revisiting disturbing memories in a safe and controlled environment while engaging in bilateral (right-left) stimulation:

Visual: scanning your eyes left to right while following a dot on a screen

Tactile: alternating between the left and right sides of the body

Auditory: hearing a beep alternating between the left and right ears

As you do the eye movements or other bilateral stimulation, you’ll activate your disturbing memories. This dual awareness allows you to keep your nervous system calm and your thinking brain online. Your brain can then link the memories with your Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) system, so they can be processed like every other memory. This process also releases the trauma-linked emotions from your nervous system.

You can finally update your nervous system to present day and put the trauma(s) in the past...where they belong.

Why choose EMDR?

Rapid Relief: Compared to traditional talk therapy, medication management, and other therapies, EMDR offers faster symptom reduction. Benefits can often be seen in as little as 3-5 sessions.

 

No Need to Relive: Many trauma treatments require you to go into great detail. With EMDR, you stay in the present through the eye movements. This method unlocks the brain’s natural ability to heal. You focus on what needs healing, versus forcing you to re-live it.

 

Evidence-Based: EMDR is a science-backed method to heal trauma, anxiety, and related conditions. Research strongly supports EMDR’s effectiveness in reducing negative emotions, memories, beliefs, and physical sensations. In addition, these effects have been shown to last months and even years later.

Why does EMDR work?

1. Eye movements have been shown to activate the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system (i.e., our relaxation response). This allows you to stay calm while accessing your traumatic past.

2. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were constantly scanning their eyes back and forth to rapidly assess their environment to see if it was safe from predators. The eye movements help you feel safe as you step forward in processing your past.

3.  During Rapid-Eye-Movement (REM) sleep, you dream about whatever isn't getting processed during your conscious hours. Engaging in rapid eye movements while awake help you bring the traumas locked in your subconscious into consciousness so you can process them.

What to expect

1

Identify disturbing memories that could be impacting you today by direct questioning and strategies that get into the body and subconscious.

2

Stabilize and build a foundation of safety, with tools like relaxation, grounding, calm state activation, disturbance containment, resource development, and more.

3

Process disturbing memories by alternating between sets of eye-movements and pausing to explore what you are noticing as the brain unlocks its natural healing abilities.

4

Practice desirable responses in future scenarios that had previously caused negative reactions. Install these future templates through several eye-movement sets.

What does EMDR help with?

  • "Good girl" conditioning

  • "Big T" trauma (e.g., accident, assault, natural disaster)

  • "Little t" trauma (e.g., any time fight-flight took over)

  • Childhood wounds

  • Anxiety, panic, and phobia

  • Burnout

  • Compassion fatigue

  • People-pleasing

  • Depression

  • Grief and loss

  • Relationship issues

  • Attachment wounds

  • Low self-esteem

  • Decision paralysis

  • Chronic perfectionism

  • Imposter syndrome

Common Questions About EMDR Therapy

How is EMDR different from talk therapy?

In talk therapy, you might gain insight and awareness of your problematic patterns. However, you will likely feel stuck because trauma and conditioned patterns live in the body and subconscious. EMDR is an evidence-based approach that helps you access and heal your disturbing memories in a safe and structured way. Using bilateral stimulation, like eye movements and tapping, you will unlock your brain and body's natural healing capabilities and integrate your distressing experiences into a healthier framework.

What does the research say about EMDR?

Research strongly supports EMDR therapy as an effective treatment for trauma, anxiety, and related conditions. Studies show it can significantly reduce negative emotions, change problematic beliefs, and alleviate uncomfortable physical symptoms.

Compared to traditional talk therapy, EMDR has been shown to provide faster relief. While not a one-size-fits-all solution, it's a powerful tool for healing that can be integrated into your treatment.

Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail?

Not necessarily! In EMDR, your therapist takes a back seat and allows your brain to heal itself. You can choose to share as much or as little as you'd like. The focus is on internal processing versus outwardly sharing details. This makes EMDR a gentler option for many trauma survivors.

What does an EMDR session look like?

There are several steps to EMDR, including developing emotional tolerance and regulation tools, identifying and processing the disturbing memories, and practicing for future scenarios.

During the processing phase of EMDR, a typical session involves checking in with new insights that occurred between sessions, followed by several sets of bilateral stimulation (e.g., eye movements, tapping) to process target memories. Sessions will end with a debrief and emotion regulation.

Throughout the process, I will check-in with you about changes in beliefs, emotions, and body sensations to ensure memories are being processed. If not, I may provide more guidance or gentle encouragement to unblock where you're getting stuck.

EMDR is a gradual process. Each step is taken at your own pace, ensuring that you feel safe and comfortable. Sometimes, we may pause processing to go back and build more coping tools. The goal is to help you heal from the past and build a more intuition-led future.

What are the risks of EMDR therapy?

While generally safe, EMDR therapy can bring up temporary disturbance as you move through the traumatic memories. Side effects may include emotional distress, vivid dreams, sleep disturbance, and physical discomfort (e.g., headaches and fatigue). EMDR may not be the right approach for everyone. I will work with you to ensure a safe and effective healing journey.

How long does EMDR take?

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to trauma treatment. The length of therapy depends on the individual and the nature of the trauma and/or conditioning. Some people often report relief within a few sessions, while others benefit from longer-term support. EMDR is usually integrated into a broader therapeutic journey, especially for complex or developmental trauma.

Is EMDR right for me?

EMDR may be helpful for you:

-Feel stuck in patterns rooted in the past

-Experience intrusive memories, emotional triggers, nightmares, or flashbacks

-Struggle with anxiety, shame, guilt, and other emotions that feel bigger than a situation calls for

-Have tried talk therapy and still feel stuck

Whether you've experienced a single "Big T" trauma, protective "good girl" conditioning, or cumulative "little t" wounds, EMDR offers a structured, safe, and compassionate approach to deep healing and transformation.

Schedule a free 15-minute introductory call to explore whether EMDR is right for you.

True healing is possible. Are you ready?

Having a therapist you trust on your healing journey can make all the difference.

Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we are the right fit!

© 2026 Emily Jenchura, PhD Psychologist APC