EMDR Therapy

in newport beach, ca. Make peace with the past.

 
 
 

EMDR therapy

We specialize in Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) for children, teens, and adults.

 
 

Sometimes, painful experiences or negative beliefs about ourselves get “stuck” in our brains and bodies, making it difficult to leave those things in the past. While traditional therapy can be helpful in many ways, it doesn’t completely address this.

Maybe you know exactly what occurred that is making day-to-day life so difficult: a traumatic experience or set of experiences that impact everything from your sleep to your romantic relationships. Or, maybe you’re not sure what’s caused this—you just know you’re struggling to cope and feel like you’re held hostage by these intense negative emotions.

EMDR is a powerful method that can help you regain control of your life and experience relief.

With EMDR, healing is possible.

 

Our specialties

EMDR can help with:

  • Abuse & neglect

  • Acute stress

  • Depression

  • Difficulty remembering childhood

  • Dissociation

  • Eating disorders and body image

  • Flashbacks

  • Grief & loss

  • Hypervigilance

  • Nightmares

  • Performance anxiety

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Phobias

  • Relationship difficulties and toxic patterns

  • Social anxiety

  • Trauma, including single-event, multiple traumas, and complex trauma

How EMDR therapy works

EMDR bridges both sides of your brain to re-process difficult experiences and reduce their emotional impact.

 

EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—the same thing that happens during REM sleep—to facilitate communication between the two hemispheres of your brain. This helps get memories “unstuck” so they can be processed and stored appropriately. Once memories are re-processed, the desensitization can occur: you’ll experience a decrease in the painful emotions and physical sensations that used to be associated with it. 

EMDR therapy utilizes a “Three-Pronged” Approach to reduce symptoms:

  • Beginning with your past (past memories)

  • Looking at your present (current triggers)

  • Moving to your future (potential challenges that could impede progress)

Your therapist will walk you through exactly what to expect so that you can experience EMDR in a secure and safe way, and you’ll set the pace at every step. Because you are not what’s happened to you, and EMDR can help you embrace that.

Therapists who can help

  • Samantha Redington

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  • Stacy Marsh

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  • Kari Sylvester

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  • Kyle Harwick

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  • Alex Zeroski

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  • Emmy Bales

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  • Lauren Hoffman

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  • Megan Thorp

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. You are fully awake and in control during EMDR.

  • There are eight phases of EMDR therapy:

    1. History Taking: Establishing a therapeutic alliance, gathering psychosocial and medical history, developing a treatment plan and case formulation, and assessing the client’s need for preparation and readiness for reprocessing.

    2. Preparation: Practicing self-control methods and coping skills, beginning a weekly log and completing associated forms.

    3. Assessment: Accessing primary aspects of the target memory selected for EMDR reprocessing and establishing emotional and distress-level baselines.

    4. Desensitization: Reprocessing using bilateral stimulation through eye movements, auditory stimulation, or tactile stimulation.

    5. Installation: Continuing the reprocessing by replacing negative beliefs with positive ones.

    6. Body Scan: Checking in with the body in order to reprocess until there are only neutral or positive sensations.

    7. Closure: Utilizing self-control techniques and coping skills to ensure client stability at the close of session.

    8. Reevaluation: Verifying that all aspects of the treatment plan are being addressed.

  • Not necessarily. You can decide how much or how little to share in EMDR—this does not change its effectiveness. Since you are holding the memory in your mind and leveraging your brain’s own healing processes, you get to decide what to share with your therapist.

  • You will not. Any memories reprocessed during EMDR will still be memories, but will not include all of the sensory elements—the negative emotional or physical responses—that you have come to experience as triggers in your present life.

  • EMDR does require opening yourself up to potentially re-experiencing physical sensations, visual imagery, and other sensory elements associated with the memory. Reprocessing a memory may also reveal associated, but forgotten memories that may result in a preliminary increase in distress and disturbance. This is why we spend time in preparation before beginning the reprocessing: to equip you with the necessary coping skills you need to manage what comes up during the process.

    It’s also important to note that reprocessing of the memory is activated for 72 hours post-EMDR treatment. While the brain is typically able to reintegrate the memory independently, you may experience dreams, become aware of additional memories, and experience flashbacks.

    Your therapist will discuss all of these risks with you in order to determine if EMDR is the right fit for you.

Schedule a free consultation

Get matched to the right therapist for you.

You’ll get the most out of therapy if you’re working with someone you truly connect with. Click the button below to schedule a free consultation with us. We’ll discuss what’s going on, answer any questions you have, and then connect you to the therapist who is best equipped to help you reach your goals.