EMDR Therapy in Oregon
A gentle, body-based approach to processing trauma and supporting nervous system relief.
If you’ve tried to talk your way through painful experiences but still feel stuck, reactive, or overwhelmed, know that you are not alone.
Some memories and emotional wounds are stored in the body and nervous system in ways that traditional talk therapy alone may not fully reach.
What Is EMDR?
EMDR helps reduce the emotional intensity of difficult memories and experiences—not by erasing them, but by helping your nervous system fully process them. Using gentle bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or tapping, EMDR supports the brain in releasing experiences that have become stuck in the body and nervous system.
Clients often describe EMDR as a way of finally feeling relief, clarity, or release after years of holding it all in.
How Does EMDR Work?
EMDR helps your brain reprocess painful or overwhelming memories so they no longer feel as intense, confusing, or stuck. During EMDR, we use gentle bilateral stimulation—such as eye movements, tapping, or sound—to activate both sides of the brain while you recall certain thoughts, feelings, or images.
This process helps the nervous system digest unresolved experiences and move them from survival mode into long-term memory, where they begin to feel less emotionally charged. You stay fully in control, and we always go at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you.
EMDR doesn’t erase the past. It helps you relate to it differently, with more clarity, groundedness, and self-compassion.
What to Expect
Getting started with EMDR is a gentle and deeply relational process.
We’ll start with relationship building, grounding tools, and resourcing to help you feel safe and supported. When and if you're ready, we’ll integrate EMDR into our work as a tool for deeper healing.
The foundational work of EMDR happens at the beginning. We’ll focus on building a foundation of trust, safety, and clarity. In our early sessions, we’ll deepen our relationship as we explore your story, strengths, and goals at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll be invited to share only what feels comfortable. With EMDR, there is no pressure to go “deep” before you're ready.
Here’s what the process typically looks like:
Initial Sessions: We start with talk therapy, grounding, and exploring what brings you to therapy. We’ll assess whether EMDR is a good fit for your needs and collaboratively clarify what healing looks like for you.
Resourcing + Preparation: You’ll learn practical tools for nervous system regulation and emotional safety so you feel more equipped and supported going into deeper work. This phase of the process takes time, as we also learn to attune with the pace of our bodies and nervous systems.
EMDR Processing: If and when you’re ready, we’ll begin the EMDR re-processing phase. You’ll bring up specific memories, feelings, or beliefs, while engaging in bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping) to help your brain reprocess the material. You will be fully in control throughout the process, and we’ll move slowly, checking in often to make sure you feel supported every step of the way.
Integration + Reflection: After re-processing, we’ll spend time helping you reflect, integrate insights, and reconnect with your strengths. This part is just as important as the re-processing itself.
We’ll check in often, adapt the pace as needed, and always center your choice and autonomy in the process.
“Contrary to what we may have been taught to think, unnecessary and unchosen suffering wounds us but need not scar us for life. It does mark us. What we allow the mark of our suffering to become is in our own hands.”
Next Steps
If you’re ready to begin EMDR Therapy, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.
Let’s begin with a free 15-minute consultation to see if it feels like a good fit.
You don’t get to choose what shaped you, but you do get to choose how it shapes what comes next.