EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful, evidence-based psychotherapy that helps people heal from trauma and other distressing life experiences. As an EMDRIA-certified counselor, Audra has extensive training and experience in this transformative modality.
Trauma and the Brain
Amygdala Activity Increases
Trauma can cause the amygdala to stay overactive, which can lead to feelings of anxiety or being in danger.
Hippocampus Shrinks
Cues to calm the amygdala are weakened, which may cause flashbacks or confusion around the trauma memory.
Prefrontal Cortex Shrinks
Trauma can weaken the signals from this area, allowing negative emotions from the trauma memory to override the prefrontal cortex's reasoning ability.
How EMDR Works
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements — to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional charge and allowing natural healing to occur.
Upsetting and traumatic images, thoughts, and emotions can create visceral feelings of overwhelm, flashbacks, or being frozen.
After EMDR, the traumatic experience is still remembered — but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.
The brain can resume its natural healing process, as it does in REM sleep.
EMDR therapy can often be completed in fewer sessions than other psychotherapies.
The 8 Phases of EMDR
History & Treatment Planning
Understanding your background and identifying target memories.
Preparation
Building coping skills and establishing safety.
Assessment
Identifying the target memory, beliefs, and body sensations.
Desensitization
Processing the memory using bilateral stimulation.
Installation
Strengthening positive beliefs about yourself.
Body Scan
Checking for residual tension or distress.
Closure
Returning to a state of equilibrium.
Reevaluation
Reviewing progress and identifying next targets.
Who Can Benefit
EMDR has been shown effective for a wide range of conditions: