EMDR ยท Wooster, Ohio
EMDR: process what happened without reliving it.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing helps the brain finish storing a memory so it stops feeling like it is happening now. Offered in Wooster and by video across Ohio.
Adults 18 and up. In person at 2098 Portage Rd, Suite 325, or by telehealth for clients located in Ohio.
If this sounds familiar
You might be feeling like this
- A memory still hits you in the body: the racing heart, the tight chest, the urge to leave.
- You have talked about it before and it still has the same charge.
- Certain places, sounds or dates set you off and you cannot reason your way out of it.
- You want a treatment with real evidence behind it, not another year of circling.
The approach
What EMDR is
EMDR is a structured therapy developed in the late 1980s for post-traumatic stress. It is recommended in the VA and Department of Defense clinical guidelines for PTSD, and it is one of the two treatments I use most.
When something overwhelming happens, the brain can store the memory raw, with the original images, feelings and body sensations attached. EMDR uses sets of bilateral stimulation, usually eye movements or the small handheld tappers you will see in my office, while you briefly hold the memory in mind. Over the sets, the memory loses its charge. You still remember what happened. It just stops feeling like it is happening now.
It is not hypnosis. You are awake, in control, and can stop at any point. And you do not have to describe the memory in detail for it to work.
What to expect
What EMDR looks like, session by session
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History and preparation
We map what you want to work on and build the coping skills you will use between sessions. Not every session is reprocessing, and we do not start until you are ready.
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Reprocessing
You bring a target memory to mind, we run sets of bilateral stimulation, and you notice what shifts. I check in with you throughout. Each session closes so you leave settled, not raw.
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Re-evaluation
Next session we see what held and what still needs work, then move to the next target. Some single-incident traumas resolve in a handful of sessions. Longer histories take longer, and that is fine.
Who EMDR helps
This is for you if
- PTSD from combat, assault or an accident
- Military sexual trauma
- Birth trauma
- Abuse in childhood or adulthood
- Anxiety that traces back to a specific event
- First responders and medical professionals
Questions people ask
Before you call
- Is EMDR the same as hypnosis?
- No. You stay fully awake and aware, you can talk during the sets, and you can stop whenever you want. Nothing is done to you. Your own brain does the work.
- How many sessions will it take?
- It varies with your history. Some people finish a single-incident trauma in a few reprocessing sessions. Complex or repeated trauma takes longer, and we plan for that together.
- Can we do EMDR over telehealth?
- I offer telehealth for clients located in Ohio. Whether EMDR by video is the right fit for you is something we decide on the free consult call.
Next step
Start with a free 15-minute call
You tell me what you are looking for, you ask me anything, and I tell you honestly whether my training fits. No forms first.