Expert EMDR Therapy in Columbia, MD

Navigate Life's Challenges with Emotional Freedom

Life has a way of leaving its mark, especially when you've been through more than your fair share of pain, stress, or emotional chaos. If you’ve been carrying around the weight of past experiences, reacting in ways you don’t fully understand, or feeling like your emotions run the show, I want you to know there’s another way forward. As a therapist trained in EMDR therapy, I help clients move through the stuck places - those old wounds, heavy memories, and patterns that keep showing up even when you’re trying to grow.

What Is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a type of psychotherapy that helps people heal from emotional wounds, trauma, and persistent distress in a deeper, more lasting way. Rather than just talking about a traumatic experience, EMDR supports your brain’s natural healing process, helping you to truly process the memory, shift stuck emotional patterns, and reduce symptoms like anxiety, panic, or emotional overwhelm.

(and How It Can Help You Feel More Like Yourself Again)

Overcome Emotional Overwhelm with EMDR Counseling

EMDR Therapy Can Help You:

Achieve healing from old emotional wounds.
Gain emotional balance to handle life's challenges.
Learn to regulate your nervous system when stress feels disproportionate to the moment.
Deepen self-understanding by connecting past experiences to present reactions.
Develop healthier, more thoughtful responses in place of reactive patterns.
Establish clear boundaries to protect your peace.

When emotions feel intense, unpredictable, or just plain exhausting, it can be hard to function, let alone heal. Through EMDR therapy, we’ll create a safe space where you can express what’s been too much to carry. Together, we'll build emotional regulation skills so you can feel more grounded. As we process deeper challenges, you’ll find lasting tools to approach life with confidence and inner peace.

Discover a Calmer Path with EMDR Therapy

I’m here to help with:

+ Creating space where therapy doesn’t require talking through every detail

+ Helping you regain emotional balance after trauma

+ Replacing negative beliefs with more supportive, positive beliefs

+ Working together, therapist and client, to help the brain resume natural healing

+ Gently working through distressing life experiences

+ Releasing tension your body has held onto from past experiences

+ Processing traumatic memories and events

+ Reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and stress-related disorders

+ Working together, therapist and client, to help the brain resume natural healing

If You're Ready To…

01

Feel more connected—to yourself and to the people you care about

02

Develop a balanced, peaceful life that is stable and in control

03

Improve your focus, insight, and decision-making both personally and professionally

04

Create stronger, more meaningful connections in your relationships

…what are you waiting for?

Schedule a free consultation

EMDR treatment is a type of movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy developed by Francine Shapiro. It helps the brain reprocess trauma memories and disturbing events using gentle bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements. Backed by the World Health Organization, the Department of Defense, and the American Psychiatric Association, EMDR is considered an effective treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions related to trauma.
Many adults of all ages struggling with trauma-related symptoms, anxiety, or unresolved emotional pain can benefit from EMDR. Whether you’ve experienced a single disturbing event or years of challenging life experiences, EMDR may help. It’s also highly recommended for those living with PTSD, chronic stress, or other trauma-related mental health conditions. If you’re unsure whether EMDR is the right treatment, I’m happy to walk you through what it looks like within a therapy session.
The phases of EMDR therapy follow a structured path designed to keep you feeling safe and supported throughout the healing process. These include:
1. History & Treatment Planning – Identifying targeted memories and building a sense of safety.
2. Preparation – Introducing bilateral stimulation and teaching emotional regulation tools.
3. Assessment – Exploring the trauma memory, negative belief, and related body sensations.
4. Desensitization – Using EMDR to reduce emotional distress tied to the traumatic event.
5. Installation – Strengthening a positive belief about yourself.
6. Body Scan – Noticing lingering tension or sensations.
7. Closure – Ensuring you feel calm and grounded by the end of each EMDR therapy session.
8. Reevaluation – Reviewing progress and preparing for the next session.
Each phase of EMDR follows specific protocols and procedures rooted in the adaptive information processing model created by Shapiro.
Bilateral stimulation is a key part of using EMDR therapy. It typically involves gentle, rhythmic eye movements, tapping, or sounds that alternate from left to right. This stimulation supports the brain’s natural healing by helping you process trauma-related memories in a more balanced, adaptive way. The eye movements in particular are thought to mimic the processes of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, a phase of sleep linked to memory consolidation and emotional processing. Just as REM sleep helps the brain process emotions, bilateral stimulation in EMDR may help reprocess distressing memories and lessen their emotional impact.
We’ll start by reviewing your goals and checking in on your emotional state. Depending on the phase you’re in, we might work through a targeted memory, begin bilateral stimulation, or focus on emotional regulation. Each session is paced with care, and you never have to talk through every detail of a traumatic event. Using EMDR, we focus on what feels manageable and meaningful to you.
That’s completely okay. EMDR isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, and part of healing is honoring what feels right for you. If you try EMDR and find that it doesn’t feel like the best fit, we can absolutely transition to a more traditional talk therapy format, still grounded in trauma-informed care. The goal of therapy is always the same: to support your healing and help you feel more like yourself, whatever path we take to get there.