EMDR Therapy

When the Past is Still Shaping the Present

When an experience is overwhelming, repeated, or never fully processed, it can become “stuck.” This can influence your emotions, beliefs, and reactions long after the original experience has passed.

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy that helps the brain update these stuck experiences. It works by helping the nervous system reprocess memories so they no longer feel current or charged, allowing new insight, flexibility, and relief to emerge.

Not Just for “Big T” Trauma

EMDR is often associated with single-event trauma, but it is equally effective for “little t” trauma, the repeated experiences and relational patterns that quietly shape how we see ourselves and the world.

These often show up as long-standing internal scripts like:

  • I’m not enough

  • I have to stay on guard

  • I’m responsible for everything

  • I don’t get to need things

EMDR helps update these scripts so they reflect who you are now, not what you had to adapt to then.

What EMDR Can Help With

Clients often report feeling more grounded, less triggered, and more able to respond rather than react. EMDR is highly effective for:

  • Anxiety and chronic stress

  • Trauma and attachment wounds

  • Shame and negative self-beliefs

  • Emotional reactivity or shutdown

  • Burnout and nervous system overwhelm

My Approach

As an EMDR-trained therapist, I provide this modality for adults, as well as developmentally attuned, play-based EMDR for children and adolescents.

Close-up of grass with morning dew, symbolizing natural healing and trauma recovery with a therapist in South Barrington, IL

EMDR for Phobias

You cannot simply out-think a phobia. When your nervous system reacts to a perceived threat, logic alone cannot override the physical panic response. I use EMDR to actively target and process this anticipatory anxiety, including:

  • Highway and driving anxiety

  • Dental, medical, and needle phobias

  • Fear of flying

  • Severe specific fears or single-incident traumas

By desensitizing these physical triggers, we help your body recognize that you are safe, allowing you to re-engage with your life without relying on avoidance.