In person therapy for adults, young adults & sensitive persons in Santa Barbara + online therapy across CA
MOVE FROM PAIN TO PURPOSE.
FIND FREEDOM. TRUE HEALING AWAITS.
EMDR therapy in Santa Barbara
You’ve tried talk therapy and find that while you’re making progress in some areas, you can’t seem to get past some sticky reactions and patterns. Perhaps you even understand how these reactions link back to your past, have developed an array of effective tools, and yet you keep falling in the same hole. This is such a frustrating experience! Believe me, I’ve been there.
You’re ready to finally break the cycle.
You’re tired of telling the same story over & over
For some wounds, understanding is not enough. In fact, often what motivates our deepest painful beliefs and patterns is held in the body and in the unconscious. Our brain and nervous system just take over. We are acting and reacting from sense memory, confusing the present moment with experiences from our past, and this is happening often totally outside our awareness.
EMDR is an evidenced- based modality that uses bilateral stimulation, often done through eye movement or tapping, to help restore, heal, and rewire the brain to fully process and resolve stuck painful, overwhelming, or traumatic memories. It allows us to truly release them and live fully in the present.
Whether you’ve experienced one overwhelming or traumatic event, or your pain comes from many “little” experiences or slights over a lifetime (perhaps so subtle that you don’t even think they “should’ve” made an impact!), you recognize that something is off in the present and you want to feel better in life.
For instance, you might:
Get overwhelmed by emotions, have panic attacks, or get overwhelmed easily
Feel numb, detached, and struggle to feel much of anything
Have difficulty focusing and making decisions
Have nightmares, review painful events, or avoid stressful situations
Feel jumpy or restless, startle easily, or have difficulty slowing down
See others or situations as a threat or assume potential harm easily
These patterns are often the body’s way of expressing stuck, or incompletely processed, experiences. Memories are stored through images, thoughts, emotions, sensations, and perceptions that remain painful and confusing. This causes your brain to be “hijacked” by the past, which is why we “react” to similar situations (though the similarity may not be obvious to you) in the present.
EMDR is a powerful therapy for true healing that aligns with your body’s innate wisdom and ability to heal itself.
It doesn’t change what happened of course, but it helps you change how you feel about it, which then helps you be more present and less reactive today. EMDR allows you to find lasting freedom from repeating patterns, intrusive thoughts and symptoms so you are better able to connect and feel safe in yourself and with others.
Clients find they feel lighter, more spacious and energized, have better control of emotions, greater self compassion, and an ability to act in better alignment with their needs and values in the present. These results lead to lasting changes and true transformation.
It’s possible to finally let go …
EMDR therapy helps you resolve incomplete memories, allowing the past to be fully in the past.
The EMDR process …
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This includes making a connection, helping you understand the process, gathering some of your history, identifying what’s important to you to work on, and starting to establish the past-present connection in your current challenges.
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I will teach you calming skills to assist you in tolerating discomfort during the EMDR reprocessing phase should difficult emotions arise. This might include skills like: deep breathing, imagery, visualization, and body relaxation. We will identify skills needed to support re-processing, such as self calming strategies, which will be practiced in session and outside sessions as well. This is an important part of helping you feel ready.
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We will initiate bilateral stimulation through self-tapping or eye movement, which activates the left and right brain to work together allowing useful information to emerge and be released with ease. Your body will know exactly what’s needed to support your process. Our job is to just allow it to “move through.” I will ask you to briefly describe what you’re experiencing along the way, though talking is more minimal in this type of processing.
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After a memory is fully reprocessed, we will evaluate the changes you experience, both as you consider the memory we worked on as well as the present-day trigger, to see how it differs from where you started.
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We will enhance new resources, perspectives, and positive feelings gained as part of memory reprocessing. This helps solidify the new memory network that supports you to be fully in your adult self with new adaptive learning and leave the past in the past. We will also explore future related challenges and explore how you’ll navigate them with your new skills.
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We will review your hard work, appreciate your willingness to withstand the discomfort of memory reprocessing, and celebrate the spaciousness, freedom, and positive changes you’re experiencing. This is a huge moment for you. This is true healing!
i can see the real you … and i celebrate all of who you are.
You can change the narrative of your life story.
What we’ll work on
EMDR therapy can help you …
Feel more balanced with your emotions
Improve connection to yourself and others
No longer feel overwhelmed by daily life stresses
Open yourself to new opportunities & feel engaged in life
Let got of painful experiences in a healthy way
Embrace your strengths, amplify new beliefs, & learn new skills
let’s help you feel empowered & aligned in your highest self
EMDR is a good fit for you if you…
Have experienced current or past painful, traumatic, or overwhelming events.
Are struggling with anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, feeling off or detached, or have chronic illness.
Notice patterns in your relationships or life that don’t serve you yet they’re hard to change.
You experience social anxiety, people pleasing, or identify as highly sensitive.
You are curious, open, motivated, and interested in healing or maybe someone suggested you try EMDR.
Questions?
FAQs
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Absolutely. EMDR can be used to address many issues/symptoms such as: anxiety, depression, obsessions/compulsions, phobias, challenging situations, as well as wanting to improve confidence, relationships, or creativity.
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This is highly variable so it’s hard to give an exact answer. Single incident events may take closer to 8-10 sessions to resolve. For many people, they’ve had more than one trauma and/or had repeated events (such as a critical parent or bullying), which can take more time to resolve. Regardless, we can go at the pace that works for you.
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EMDR can be great for that actually. With EMDR we don’t need to talk about every detail, and in general, we talk less than in traditional therapy. During reprocessing, if there are details that feel too painful, private, or embarrassing, you do not need to disclose those. The most important information for me is that you’re holding awareness of the present moment while processing information from the past. The details are more important for you to know.
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EMDR does involve connecting with emotions from past experiences, so it can be uncomfortable or painful at times. However, we will work on creating supportive resources first and we will go at a pace that works for you. And I will remind you along the way that making contact with the discomfort is what brings freedom, new learning, and new opportunities on the other side. It’s so worth it!
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It definitely can be! Each person is unique of course, but the process is easy to navigate online and I have not experienced limitations on results with online EMDR. Same as in person, it’s just important to communicate about pacing and needs. It’s my desire that you feel my support along the way. I’ll be right there with you!
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Yes, I am EMDRIA Certified and am invested in my work as a relational EMDR therapist. I am consistently engaged in advanced trainings and furthering my expertise in this field, including teaching/consulting with other clinicians who are interested in practicing EMDR in addition to my own work with clients.