EMDR Therapy in-person in San Francisco and online throughout California
EMDR Therapy
(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy)
What is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy?
EMDR is an evidence-backed therapy that uses eye movements to reprocess distressing memories and trauma. EMDR helps your brain refile memories as something that happened in the past, rather than something that is still happening in the present.
EMDR differs from talk therapy in that it follows a structured 8-phase protocol and follows a treatment plan we would work to develop together.
EMDR isn't only for the big or distinct traumas. Many of my clients don't have one defining event. Instead, they carry the weight of years of subtle messages: that love was conditional on achievement, that mistakes weren't safe, that their needs were too much, or that they had to hide parts of themselves to belong or feel safe. These experiences can shape our deepest beliefs just as powerfully.
Who can EMDR Help?
EMDR therapy may be helpful if you:
Struggle with anxiety or overthinking and find yourself caught in patterns of worry, fear, or self-doubt that are difficult to shift.
Feel stuck in painful past experiences that continue to affect how you see yourself, relate to others, or navigate the present.
Carry shame or a harsh inner critic shaped by experiences of criticism, rejection, or feeling like you're never quite enough.
Notice recurring relationship patterns such as fear of abandonment, difficulty trusting others, or people-pleasing that feels hard to change.
Have experienced trauma, whether a single distressing event or ongoing experiences that have affected your sense of safety and self-worth.
Understand your patterns intellectually but still feel stuck emotionally, finding that insight alone hasn't brought the relief or change you've been hoping for.
You don't need to identify with the word trauma to explore whether EMDR might be right for you. Together, we can explore your experiences, goals, and readiness to determine whether EMDR may be helpful.
My Approach
My approach is integrative, weaving EMDR together with parts work and psychodynamic insight.
What working together would look like:
Start by building rapport, a sense of safety, and stability, so you feel resourced and in control of the pace
Get to know the protective parts of you (the inner critic, the over-achiever, the people-pleaser) with curiosity rather than judgment
Identify the memories and core beliefs underneath your anxiety, perfectionism, or burnout
Use EMDR to reprocess these experiences, so they lose some of their emotional charge
Notice and strengthen new, more compassionate and adaptive beliefs
This process isn’t always as linear, and we will jump between phases at times. Some phases can take weeks, while others may take just one session. We can also toggle back and forth between talk therapy and EMDR as needed–I try to integrate EMDR with the demands/changes of life as fluidly as possible. Building a trusting and secure relationship remains the most important component for successful therapy.
“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
— Rumi
Starting Therapy is easy
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Get in touch by filling out this quick form here.
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We’ll schedule a time to chat and make sure we’re a great fit.
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Start therapy and begin to explore a new way of being.
EMDR Therapy FAQs
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy approach that helps people process distressing experiences that continue to affect how they feel, think, and relate to themselves and others. It may be helpful for people navigating trauma, anxiety, painful memories, or patterns that feel difficult to change, even when they understand where those patterns come from intellectually.
Rather than simply talking through what happened, EMDR incorporates bilateral stimulation as part of a structured process to support the processing of difficult experiences. We can explore whether EMDR is a good fit for your needs, goals, and readiness for this kind of work.
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EMDR is best known for its use in treating PTSD and trauma-related symptoms. It may also be helpful for people experiencing anxiety, persistent self-doubt, shame, or the lingering effects of painful relationships and earlier life experiences.
You might consider EMDR if certain memories still feel emotionally charged, you find yourself reacting more intensely than you want to, or you understand a pattern logically but struggle to shift how it feels. We can discuss your experiences and determine whether EMDR, another therapeutic approach, or a combination would best support you.
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EMDR involves more than revisiting difficult memories. We begin by understanding your history, identifying the experiences or patterns you'd like to work on, and building the resources you need to feel grounded and supported.
When you're ready, we will use bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating taps, while you bring aspects of a target memory or experience to mind. I'll help you notice what arises and move through the process at a pace that respects your needs. We will regularly check in about how you're feeling and how the work is affecting you.
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EMDR follows an 8 phase protocol:
Phase 1 (History taking): We will get to know each other, I will learn more about your history and current presenting issues, and then we’ll make a treatment plan.
Phase 2 (Preparation): I’ll explain how EMDR works, what the process looks like, and work with you to establish some grounding resources.
Phase 3 (Assessment):We will choose a memory (or cluster of memories) to target.
Phase 4-7 (Desensitization & Reprocessing): We will begin using eye movements to reprocess old memories or beliefs and replace them with more adaptive beliefs.
Phase 8 (Re-evaluation): We will evaluate our prior targets and continue with the treatment plan once those targets have been successfully reprocessed.
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No single type of experience determines whether EMDR might be useful. Some people seek EMDR after a clearly traumatic event, while others are affected by repeated experiences of criticism, emotional neglect, rejection, or feeling unsafe in important relationships.
What matters is how an experience continues to affect you and whether EMDR is an appropriate approach for addressing it. We can explore this together without assuming that your experiences need to meet a particular threshold to deserve attention.
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EMDR isn't the right approach for everyone, and you don't need to know in advance which type of therapy you need. It may be worth exploring if you want to work with experiences that talking alone hasn't helped you fully process.
My approach is highly relational–We'll consider your goals, current circumstances, and sense of readiness together, and we can integrate EMDR with other therapeutic approaches when appropriate. We can discuss whether EMDR may be the right approach for you on a free consultation call.
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Both! I offer in-person therapy in San Francisco and virtual sessions for clients located throughout California. There is ample evidence that EMDR maintains its efficacy in an online format, but it also depends on your personal preferences and the format in which you feel safest.
Hi, I’m Annie
I like to show up prepared, execute things well, and achieve the goals I set. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, and I like this about myself. But there is also a shadow side to these traits that left me feeling anxious, internally conflicted, and ultimately exhausted. I understand this struggle from the inside out. If you’re at a point in your life where you’re ready for something different, I’ve got you. Let’s explore how you can continue to work toward your ambitions with more energy, a greater sense of groundedness, and a clearer, more aligned vision.