Trauma Therapy & EMDR
What the mind can’t release, the body holds. We help you with both.
Registered Psychotherapists (CRPO) and Registered Social Workers (OCSWSSW). Covered by most extended health plans.
Understanding trauma, in plain language
Trauma isn’t just what happened to you. It’s how your nervous system responded, and then got stuck.
When something overwhelming happens, your brain works to protect you. It stores the memory in a way that keeps your body on alert, ready to react if something similar happens again. For many people, that protection becomes a prison. The threat is long gone, but the alarm keeps ringing.
That’s trauma. Not weakness. Not something you should be “over by now.” It’s a physiological response to an overwhelming experience, and it deserves real, evidence-based treatment.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured therapy developed specifically to address trauma. It is one of the most extensively researched trauma treatments in the world, and it is recognized by the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association as an effective treatment for PTSD.
EMDR works by using bilateral stimulation, often guided eye movements, to help the brain process and integrate traumatic memories that have become stuck. The goal isn’t to erase the memory. It’s to change how the memory is stored, so it no longer triggers the same distress.
The EMDR process includes:
- A thorough history-taking and preparation phase before any processing begins.
- Learning grounding and stabilization skills so you feel safe throughout.
- Bilateral stimulation sessions to process targeted memories.
- Integration work to solidify new perspectives and responses.
- Regular check-ins to keep the work at a pace that feels manageable for you.
Trauma comes in many forms
Our trauma-trained practitioners work with a wide range of experiences, including:
- PTSD and complex PTSD. Single-incident, and ongoing or developmental trauma.
- Childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
- Domestic violence and intimate partner violence. Including survivors navigating safety and recovery.
- Grief and sudden loss. Including traumatic bereavement.
- Attachment trauma. The deep relational wounds that form in early life.
- First responder and occupational trauma
- Spiritual and religious trauma
A skilled therapist never pushes you to share more than you’re ready for. Your sense of safety in the room always comes first.
Common questions about trauma therapy
Will I have to relive everything in detail?
No. A skilled trauma therapist never pushes you to recount more than you’re ready for. In EMDR specifically, you don’t need to share the full content of a memory for processing to occur. Your sense of safety in the room always comes first.
How long does trauma therapy take?
It varies by person and history. Some people experience meaningful shifts in eight to twelve sessions; others, especially those with complex or developmental trauma, may work for longer. Your therapist will regularly check in on progress and pace.
What if I feel worse before I feel better?
This is a normal part of processing trauma, and your therapist will prepare you for it. We build stabilization skills before we begin processing, so you always have tools to manage what comes up between sessions.
You’ve been carrying this long enough
Our trauma-trained practitioners are here. You don’t have to explain everything in the first call.