Eye Movement Desensitization

and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

Process your past trauma and

start living in your present

EMDR therapist Ontario

What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s a specialized type of therapy designed to help you process and heal from traumatic experiences and troubling memories.

EMDR is very effective when it comes to clients struggling with past traumatic or difficult experiences. It is an evidence-based therapy that uses bilateral stimulation (either side-to-side eye movements or tapping on arms or legs) to process past traumatic experiences and reduce their impact on your current mental state.

What can EMDR help with?

  • Example: Imagine someone who experienced a severe car accident. Since the event, they’ve been haunted by vivid flashbacks and intense anxiety whenever they hear the sound of screeching brakes. EMDR can help process these traumatic memories, reducing the impact of the flashbacks and easing the anxiety related to the accident. It is also effective for chronic, complex, or childhood trauma which can involve many traumatic events.

  • Example: A person who has developed a fear of flying after a turbulent flight might find themselves overwhelmed by anxiety at the mere thought of boarding a plane. EMDR can assist in processing the fear and anxiety, making it easier for them to manage their emotions and approach flying with more confidence.

  • Example: Someone who grew up with constant criticism from a parent might struggle with low self-esteem and persistent feelings of worthlessness. EMDR can help reprocess these negative core beliefs and emotional wounds, leading to improved self-worth and a more adaptive outlook.

  • Example: A musician who experiences crippling anxiety before performances might struggle with their career. EMDR can help process the underlying fears and anxieties associated with performing, leading to greater ease and confidence on stage.

  • Example: A person who has a persistent belief that they are “not good enough” might find this belief affecting their career and personal life in a variety of ways. EMDR can shift these negative beliefs by processing any underlying emotions or memories, leading to a healthier self-image and more adaptive behavior.

  • Example: Someone who has difficulty maintaining healthy relationships due to past experiences might benefit from EMDR to address their underlying emotional pain and fears, leading to more fulfilling and stable relationships.

How does EMDR work?

Imagine your mind as a large filing cabinet.

Throughout life, you store various experiences and memories in this cabinet, neatly organizing them into folders. However, when you go through a traumatic event, it’s like a drawer gets jammed or a folder gets misfiled.

EMDR therapy helps to put these files into their rightful place.

By focusing on distressing memories while engaging in guided eye movements or other types of bilateral stimulation, EMDR helps your brain process and reintegrate past experiences. This allows you to file them away correctly, reducing their emotional charge and making it easier to access and manage them.

During EMDR sessions, we’ll work together to identify which “files” or memories are causing you distress. Through the EMDR process, we’ll help you refile these memories in a way that makes them less overwhelming and more manageable.

What should I expect from EMDR therapy?

Modern Resilience Therapy offers individual EMDR therapy and intensive EMDR therapy.

Individual EMDR therapy involves meeting every week or every other week for 50 - 75 minutes per session. We start by getting to know each other a bit, ensuring that EMDR is a good fit for your background and goals, and then we begin the preparation and processing phases of EMDR.

Intensive EMDR therapy involves a concentrated series of sessions over a short time frame, such as a few weeks. After initial screening and assessment, we would schedule several EMDR sessions over a few days or a few weeks. This could look like 2 or 3 2-hour sessions each week for a few weeks. This approach is helpful when a client is looking for substantial progress in a short time frame, and offers a time-efficient way to work through significant issues. Many choose this option for its potential to deliver fast and impactful changes.

If you are interested in learning more about EMDR or EMDR intensive therapy, please feel free to reach out and book an initial free consultation.

Explore EMDR therapy in Ontario today

I know you may have some questions about EMDR, therapy itself, or the way I work with my clients. That’s what this initial consultation is for!

During our first call, you can ask any questions you have about therapy, and I'll tell you a bit about myself and how I work with clients. If you feel comfortable and think we’re a good match, we can discuss the next steps. If not, that’s perfectly fine; there’s no obligation for you to start working with me. I strongly believe that you should go with your gut and find a therapist that you can see yourself feeling comfortable with. If that’s me – great! If not, I sincerely hope you continue your search and find your right fit.

If you want to book your first consultation, please go to my online calendar through the “Book a free consultation” button.

If you want to ask some questions before you book, you can always send me an email or send me a message through the “Get in touch” button.

I’m looking forward to talking to you.

-Megan Strachan

Start with a free 15-minute consultation