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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Psychosis Consultation
EMDR Therapy: When Trauma and Anxiety Won’t Let Go

Experiences that feel overwhelming don’t always stay in the past. They can continue to surface as anxiety, reactivity, emotional shutdown, or a persistent sense of unease, impacting how you move through daily life.

SCCS offers EMDR therapy in a supportive, compassionate environment designed to help kids, teens, and adults process distressing experiences and reduce the emotional effects of trauma.

What Is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that helps your brain process difficult experiences so they no longer feel as overwhelming.

It uses something called bilateral stimulation—like back-and-forth eye movements, tapping, or sounds—to help your brain process traumatic memories so you no longer feel “stuck” in the past.

EMDR Can Help:
  • Reduce anxiety, panic, and emotional reactivity
  • Process grief and move forward while still honoring what was lost
  • Feel less overwhelmed by past experiences
  • Develop a stronger, more compassionate view of yourself
  • Let go of memories that feel stuck or triggering
  • Overcome fears tied to past events
  • Break out of patterns that no longer serve you
How It Works: What Happens in an EMDR Therapy Session
EMDR uses a structured eight-stage approach that emphasizes safety, preparation, and gradual processing:
1.
Choose a target
You and your therapist identify a specific memory, trigger, or belief to focus on.
2.
Set the frame
You bring up the image, the negative belief (like “I’m not safe”), what you’d rather believe, and notice how it feels emotionally and in your body.
3.
Begin bilateral stimulation
You follow guided eye movements, tapping, or tones while holding the experience in mind.
4.
Notice what shifts
After each short set, you pause and share what came up—thoughts, feelings, images, or body sensations.
5.
Reprocess the experience
As the process repeats, the intensity usually decreases, and your brain begins to reorganize the memory in a more adaptive way.
6.
Strengthen a healthier belief
Once the distress lessens, you focus on a more adaptive belief (such as “I’m safe now” or “I can handle this”) and reinforce it.
7.
Check the body
You scan for any lingering tension or discomfort and process anything that’s still stuck.
8.
Close the session
You return to a grounded state before ending, so you leave feeling stable and supported.
You might experience:
  • Feeling tired or needing extra rest
  • New thoughts, memories, or insights surfacing
  • Emotions that feel closer to the surface than usual
  • A gradual decrease in the intensity of triggers over time
These responses are a natural part of the process and often settle between sessions.
Feel Supported Every Step of the Way

Before you leave, your therapist will make sure you feel stable and provide tools to help you manage anything that comes up. You’ll also have space in your next session to check in, process anything new, and continue at a pace that feels right.

After a session, it’s normal to notice some continued processing as your brain keeps working through what came up.

Getting Started with EMDR at SCCS
Reach Out
Contact our team to schedule an initial consultation. We’ll answer your questions and help you find the right therapist.
Getting to Know You
In your first sessions, we take time to understand your (or your child’s) experiences, current challenges, and goals.
Prepare at Your Pace
Before starting EMDR, we focus on building comfort, trust, and tools to help you feel grounded and supported.
Begin When You’re Ready
Once you feel prepared, we’ll begin EMDR in a way that feels safe, structured, and manageable.
FAQs:

EMDR Therapy

EMDR may be appropriate for children, teens, and adults whose current symptoms are connected to past experiences. Our clinicians assess readiness and stability before beginning trauma processing.

Yes—especially when anxiety is connected to past experiences. EMDR helps process the underlying memories or situations that may be contributing to ongoing anxiety, panic, or feeling on edge. Many people find that as those experiences are processed, their overall anxiety becomes more manageable and less reactive.

After a session, it’s normal to feel a bit tired or notice emotions, thoughts, or memories continuing to surface. This is part of your brain continuing to process. These effects are usually temporary and tend to settle between sessions. Your therapist will help you leave each session feeling grounded and prepared.

Yes. EMDR is a recognized, evidence-based therapy typically covered as part of regular therapy sessions.

At South Coast, we accept Medi-Cal and the following private insurance plans:

  • Magellan
  • Kaiser
  • Cigna Evernorth
  • Health Net
  • Aetna

Coverage can vary depending on your specific plan, so our team can help you verify benefits and understand your options.

You don’t need to prepare anything specific in advance. Early sessions focus on getting to know you, understanding your experiences, and building tools to help you feel comfortable and supported. Your therapist will guide the process and make sure you feel ready before beginning EMDR.

Readiness for EMDR is determined collaboratively with your therapist. Before trauma processing begins, clinicians focus on safety, stability, and coping skills to ensure EMDR is appropriate and supportive for you at that time.

No. EMDR does not require sharing detailed descriptions of traumatic experiences. The focus is on how memories are processed internally, rather than retelling events out loud.

Your therapist will help you develop grounding and regulation strategies to use between sessions. Ongoing check-ins ensure support if difficult emotions arise outside of therapy.

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