EMDR Therapy
Where Advanced Training Meets Inner Wisdom: EMDR for Religious, Relational, and Sexual Trauma
EMDR Therapy, or Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a powerful psychotherapy technique designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
At its core, EMDR therapy is about helping individuals like you to process disturbing experiences, transforming the pain of the past into a catalyst for growth and a meaningful life.
As an EMDR therapist specializing in religious, relational, and sexual trauma, my approach to trauma healing and recovery is grounded in both the reliability of evidence-based practices and the wisdom of intuitive, person-centered counseling.
Whether you're dealing with the aftermath of a single distressing event like a car accident or the deep wounds of sexual trauma, EMDR offers a path forward.
You survived.
Now, you deserve to finally be truly free from the past.
Overcome Traumatic Events and Reclaim Your Story with EMDR Therapy
Healing Beyond Words: Experience the benefits of EMDR Therapy
Trauma doesn't heal just by talking about it. Trauma is stored in the body, so the body must be involved in the healing of it.
EMDR is a holistic, somatically-informed therapeutic modality that differs significantly from traditional talk therapy. What EMDR does is pairs intentional activation of the trauma memory with controlled sets of "bilateral" (side-to-side) stimulation to jump-start your brain's natural healing capabilities. Your brain knows how to heal, EMDR simply clears the way so that this natural healing capacity can unfold.
While many EMDR clinicians skillfully use this technique to alleviate PTSD symptoms in their clients, few understand how religious trauma can manifest and how to accommodate EMDR to serve these clients' needs.
Religious, relational, and sexual trauma results in more complex trauma than standard PTSD. You need a therapist that understands this fundamental difference and how to creatively and collaboratively adjust EMDR to your needs.
You can heal from even the most unspeakable traumatic experiences. I have witnessed in my clients again and again how EMDR therapy can dissolve the traumatic imprint of religious, relational, and sexual trauma, allowing them to live more fully in the present moment and finally enjoy the life they worked so hard for.
It's not just about desensitization - it's about rewriting your story.
EMDR isn't just about confronting difficult events; it's a holistic approach to trauma recovery that puts the past in the past, brings you in the present, and opens up a future full of possibility.
Below I explore how EMDR can be integrated into your therapy to address the unique wounds of religious, relational, and sexual trauma.
The wounds from spiritual abuse, toxic indoctrination, and cult membership are profound, yet invisible and frequently misunderstood by the general public and mental health professionals alike.
If you were raised in a fundamentalist religious belief system, you were likely told terrible and terrifying things about the nature of your soul, the end times (apocalypse), and the afterlife.
Religious trauma is trauma, and EMDR can be used to target and process these traumatic wounds.
Relational Trauma and Attachment Wounds
If you were raised in an emotionally neglectful home or by a narcissistic parent or by caregivers that were members of a fundamentalist religion or cult, please know that the pain you are feeling is real.
As infants and small children, we needed caregivers who were attuned to our needs and could set their own desires aside to show up for us.
Unfortunately, fundamentalist religions and cults indoctrinate parents out of their parental instincts, resulting in devastating attachment traumas that tend to get passed down generation after generation.
Together, we can heal these wounds using Attachment-Focused EMDR.
You are a cycle breaker. Let's make sure these generational curses end with you.
Healing from Sexual Violence and Abuse
It doesn't matter if it only happened one time or if you endured years of mistreatment, sexual violations are one of the most profoundly degrading and horrifying experiences one can endure.
You may be plagued with self-doubt, disgust, and overwhelming fear. It may feel like you'll never be the same again. You may have lost hope in your ability to be close with another person ever again. Don't lose hope. EMDR can help you heal, even if you can't speak the words of what happened.
If, on the other hand, you need someone to know the story of what happened to you, I can hold space for you. I can bear witness to it. And I can carry your story with me. I would be honored to unburden you of the isolation of carrying that alone. And then, when you're ready, I will help you process these memories so you can be truly free.
Religious Trauma and Cult Recovery
EMDR: A Holistic Approach to Trauma Healing
As your therapist, I will bring a holistic, person-centered approach to our sessions, which means that your experience, your intersectional identity, your relationships, and the unique fabric of your life are privileged over standardized protocols.
This also means that we aren't going to rush. We're going to spend the time it takes to build a strong relationship that you can count on as we face the horrors of the past. I want to really get to know you. You are the expert in your experience, after all.
My approach to EMDR is not rigid. You will never feel that I am "doing EMDR" to you. Instead, I will use the totality of my education, training, knowledge about you as an individual, and (most importantly) your feedback to co-create an EMDR experience that works best for you.
When I accept a new client into my practice, I am making a commitment to embark on a collaborative healing journey with them.
Does this sound like what you've been looking for? Schedule a consultation call. I'm eager to hear from you.