EMDR Therapy in Natick
Move beyond painful experiences and patterns keeping you stuck
EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ • In-person in Natick + telehealth across Massachusetts
You know it’s in the past. So why does it still feel so present?
Maybe there are experiences from your past that you’ve downplayed, pushed aside, or told yourself weren’t really that significant. It might be something clearly painful - or years of criticism, rejection, instability, difficult relationships, or times you didn’t feel safe, supported, or understood.
Even experiences you rarely think about can continue to shape how you feel and react today. Sometimes the connection is obvious. Other times, you’re left wondering why certain situations bring up emotions or reactions that feel much bigger than the moment itself.
Does this sound familiar?
Your mind or body react as if something from the past is happening again, even when you know the situation now is different.
Your emotions swing from feeling incredibly intense to completely numb.
You’re often on high alert, struggling to relax or let your guard down.
At times, you feel detached or disconnected - like you’re not fully present in your body or the world around you.
Sometimes knowing the pattern isn’t enough to change the reaction. A delayed text, a partner seeming distant, or a mistake at work can bring up a reaction that feels much bigger than the moment. Sometimes, something in the present is tapping into older experiences of rejection, criticism, or instability.
EMDR can help the past feel like the past
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is an evidence-based therapy designed to help your brain process painful experiences that still feel emotionally “stuck.”
During EMDR, we'll focus on memories, emotions, beliefs, or body sensations connected to experiences that still feel stuck. At the same time, we'll use bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, tapping, or alternating sounds) to support your brain's natural ability to process and integrate those experiences. The goal isn’t to erase what happened. It’s to help those experiences become less emotionally charged so they no longer have the same power over how you feel and respond today.
You’ll still remember what happened, but it can begin to feel more like something that happened then, rather than something your mind and body need to keep responding to now.
EMDR can help you:
Feel less overwhelmed by emotional triggers
Reduce the intensity of painful memories, intrusive thoughts, or flashbacks
Shift deeply held beliefs such as ““I’m not good enough,”‍ ‍“I can’t trust myself,” “I’m not safe,” or “It was my fault”
Respond to what’s happening now rather than through the lens of what happened in the past
EMDR That Moves at Your Pace
EMDR isn't about jumping straight into the hardest thing that's ever happened to you. Before we begin reprocessing, we'll spend time understanding what brings you to therapy, building resources, and making sure you feel ready to move forward.
I’m an EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ with advanced training in EMDR, including work with attachment wounds and complex trauma. As a DBT-Linehan Board Certified Clinician™, I bring advanced training and evidence-based approaches to therapy. I can also draw from DBT when helpful - whether that means slowing things down, building skills to manage overwhelming emotions, or shifting gears when something isn't working. EMDR isn't one-size-fits-all. We'll work collaboratively and move at a pace that feels manageable for you.
EMDR FAQs
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EMDR works by helping your brain process experiences that continue to cause distress in the present. During reprocessing, I'll guide you to focus on aspects of the experience while using bilateral stimulation, typically through eye movements or tapping. Over time, the memory can become less emotionally intense and feel more like something that happened in the past rather than something your mind and body still need to respond to now.
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Totally fair. Moving your eyes back and forth or tapping while thinking about a difficult experience isn't exactly what most people picture when they think of therapy. But bilateral stimulation is an important part of EMDR, an evidence-based treatment that has been extensively researched. I'll explain what we're doing and why along the way - no need to just take my word for it.
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No. EMDR doesn't require you to describe every detail of what happened. Instead, we can work with the emotions, beliefs, images, and body sensations connected to an experience while helping your brain process it differently. You'll always have control over what you share, and we'll move at a pace that feels manageable for you.
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Yes. You don't need a PTSD diagnosis (or even be sure that what you've experienced “counts” as trauma) to benefit from EMDR. Sometimes it's one clearly painful event; other times it's years of criticism, rejection, instability, difficult relationships, or experiences that shaped how you see yourself. We can explore what's still affecting you without forcing a label onto your experience.
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Yes. EMDR can be helpful when anxiety feels connected to past experiences, deeply held beliefs, or triggers that bring up a reaction that feels bigger than the situation itself. You might notice this with rejection, conflict, criticism, making a mistake, or uncertainty in relationships. EMDR can help process what's underneath those reactions so you're better able to respond to what's happening now rather than feeling pulled into old patterns.
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EMDR may be a good fit if you feel stuck in emotional reactions or patterns that you understand intellectually but haven’t been able to shift. It can also be helpful if you’ve gained insight through talk therapy but still find yourself reacting in the same ways. You don’t need to know ahead of time whether EMDR is the right approach. We’ll look at what you’re experiencing, what you want to change, and decide together whether EMDR, DBT, or another approach makes the most sense.
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There's no set number of EMDR sessions. It depends on what you're working on, your history, and how we decide to pace treatment. A single, specific experience may take less time to process than longstanding patterns or multiple experiences. We'll regularly check in about how therapy is going rather than following a predetermined timeline.
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Yes. I offer EMDR therapy both in person in Natick, MA and virtually throughout Massachusetts. EMDR can be adapted effectively for telehealth, including bilateral stimulation techniques that work in a virtual setting. We can talk about whether in-person or online EMDR feels like the better fit for you.
Have questions about working together? Visit the About page for more about fees, scheduling, insurance, and what to expect.