Go beyond traditional talk therapy.
EMDR Therapy in Etobicoke, Toronto and Virtual in Ontario
You know that your past is still impacting your life, but you can’t figure out how to move forward.
Maybe you’ve been to therapy before, and you even have a good idea of what your current difficulties are connected to from your past. The insights you have gained have made some difference…
But you’re still feeling…
Stuck in patterns of reacting and behaving that are having negative impacts on your life and relationships
Feeling overwhelmed, triggered and out of control
Experiencing symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares and panic attacks.
Like there is a gap between what you know about yourself intellectually, and how you truly feel inside, on an emotional or ‘gut’ level.
It doesn’t have to be this way…
I want you to know that change is possible. Deep healing is possible. EMDR works to help our deeply held negative core beliefs shift on a body, ‘gut’ level. This is where the magic lies, and is the key to helping you make important shifts in your life.
Imagine a life where you truly feel that you are worthy of love. That you are safe. That you are a good person.
EMDR therapy can help you heal deep wounds from the past, in order to move forward in your life.
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The essence of EMDR therapy is based on the idea that psychological distress is often rooted in unprocessed or ‘stuck’ memories. These memories can get stuck in the brain’s natural processing system, leading to various emotional and psychological issues. Experiences arising from these unprocessed memories include PTSD symptoms like flashbacks and hypervigilance, but also behavioral patterns like people-pleasing and over-responsibility taking and other issues such as anxiety, depression and some chronic pain.
EMDR aims to "unstick" these memories and help the brain reprocess or ‘metabolize’ them. This then allows for profound shifts to occur in your mind and body which often shows up as shifts in core beliefs about yourself (for example, a shift from a self-concept of “I am worthless” to “I have worth”), decreased reactivity to triggers (for example, not feeling activated when someone in your life acts similar to how your abuser did), less emotional overwhelm, and increased sense of confidence.
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EMDR has different phases that we move through together.
The first stage is preparation, where we make sure that we have all the things in place to make the trauma processing successful. This includes strategies for coping with intense emotions that may come up, an ability to be in the memory while staying somewhat grounded. It also involves working together to make a plan of what things from the past need processing in order to help you shift current symptoms.
The next stage is where we get into trauma processing, using bilateral stimulation, which is back and forth eye movements, or audio or tactile. This allows the brain to reprocess the memory so that it gets properly metabolized so it no longer holds an 'emotional charge'.
The last stage is re-evaluating our work to inform next steps. It also involves integrating the processing we did on your past, into your present life, future template, and sense of self.
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EMDR is best known for its effectiveness in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, its applications extend far beyond PTSD. Here are some issues EMDR can help with:
Anxiety and Panic Disorders: EMDR can help process the underlying causes of anxiety and panic, leading to a significant reduction in symptoms.
Depression: By addressing the traumatic memories or negative beliefs fueling depression, EMDR can provide relief and promote healing.
Phobias: EMDR can help you work through memories that trigger fears stemming from past traumas, making you feel less afraid by addressing the root causes.
Grief and Loss: Processing the painful memories and emotions associated with loss can lead to a healthier grieving process.
Addictions: EMDR can address the trauma and negative beliefs that often underlie addictive behaviors, supporting recovery efforts.
Chronic Pain: By targeting the emotional distress linked to chronic pain, EMDR can contribute to pain management and relief.
Is EMDR the right fit for you?
EMDR therapy works well for many different issues.
EMDR is best known for its effectiveness in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, its applications extend far beyond PTSD. Here are some issues EMDR can help with:
Anxiety and Panic Attacks: EMDR can help process the underlying causes of anxiety and panic, leading to a significant reduction in symptoms.
Depression: By addressing the traumatic memories or negative beliefs fueling depression, EMDR can provide relief and promote healing.
Parenting Difficulties: Some of our triggers in parenting stem from our own unhealed childhood wounds. Addressing these can help us shift our experience of parenting and our dynamics with our children.
Grief and Loss: Processing the painful memories and emotions associated with loss can lead to a healthier grieving process.
Problematic Behavioural Patterns: Past experiences often underlie current behavioural patterns. EMDR can help to identify and heal these experiences to shift problematic patterns in the present.
Chronic Pain: By targeting the emotional distress linked to chronic pain, the origins of the pain and some of the underlying emotional and psychological causes, EMDR can contribute to relief of chronic pain symptoms.
Symptoms of PTSD: Flashbacks, nightmares, avoiding situations that are triggering, unclear sense of self are all symptoms that can be addressed using EMDR.
What you’ll gain
EMDR can lead to profound shifts in your mind and body:
Shifts in core beliefs about yourself (e.g., from “I am worthless” to “I have worth”): Leading to increased sense of self-worth and confidence.
Feeling calmer and less triggered (e.g., staying composed when something ‘triggering’ happens).
Enhanced ability to manage your emotions and stay present.
Reduced physical symptoms such as headaches, some chronic pain, etc.
Increased resilience: Feeling more able to cope with future stressors and challenges.
Better sleep quality and decreased nightmares.
“The light of love is always in us, no matter how cold the flame. It is always present, waiting for the spark to ignite…and call us back…”
-bell hooks
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about EMDR Therapy:
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EMDR is a well-researched modality for PTSD and other presenting issues.
The research largely shows EMDR to be an effective therapy for resolving PTSD symptoms, as well as some other psychological and related symptoms.
Here is a good article that summarizes the Randomized Control Trials that have been done on a variety of presenting issues.
For those wanting an even deeper dive, here is a list of many of the RCTs, as well as non-randomized studies, case reports and other research on EMDR.
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Great question! With a not-so-clear answer, that in short is 'it depends'. These are factors that can impact the length of time:
-# of traumatice/overwhelming events to process. A single incident can often be resolved in shorter-term work, as can a recent experience. However, if we are working on a long-standing pattern of childhood abuse, the work can take longer.
-Readiness factors: We only go into the trauma processing phase of EMDR when we have ensured that you are ready. This can include ensuring you have supports outside of therapy, addressing/stabilizing any dissociation, ensuring you can stay present/grounded while putting your attention towards distressing material, being able to handle intense emotions. For some folks this preparation phase is short and for others it can be longer-term work.
-Therapy goals: If you are wanting to work on one clearly defined area of your life, you can often make progress in a shorter-period of time.
-Past therapy experiences: If you are someone who has done a lot of therapy in the past, then you might already have a strong foundation to move more quickly to and through, the trauma-processing phase of EMDR.
Regardless of these factors, I work in a more condensed format so that you can achieve results more quickly. I offer 90-minute or longer sessions so that you can get relief, and change, faster. It doesn't mean that it will always be fast, but it does mean that it will generally be more efficient than weekly 50-minute sessions.
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My fees are:
90-minute session: $315
2-hour session: $420
A full-day EMDR Intensive is $250/hour.
Change is possible. Let’s do it together.
discover your inner zest for life.
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discover your inner zest for life. —