EMDR Therapy

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy approach designed to help people process traumatic, distressing, or emotionally overwhelming experiences that continue to impact them in the present. Many people find that even when they logically understand that something is “over” or “in the past,” their emotions, body, reactions, or relationships still feel deeply affected by it. EMDR helps the brain reprocess these experiences in a way that can reduce emotional intensity, negative beliefs, and trauma-related responses over time.

One of the core components of EMDR is bilateral stimulation, which typically involves guided eye movements, tapping, or alternating auditory stimulation while focusing on specific thoughts, memories, emotions, or body sensations. Bilateral stimulation is believed to help the brain process information differently, allowing distressing experiences to become less emotionally overwhelming and feel more integrated over time. Many clients describe memories feeling “less charged,” less intrusive, or less emotionally consuming following processing.

EMDR is most commonly associated with trauma and PTSD, but it can also be helpful for anxiety, panic, attachment wounds, low self-esteem, relationship patterns, grief, distressing memories, and experiences that continue to feel emotionally “stuck.” Rather than only talking through experiences, EMDR focuses on helping the brain and body process experiences in a way that reduces ongoing emotional reactivity and distress.

How EMDR is Offered at Wise Mind

At Wise Mind, EMDR is provided by Sarah Tishman, LMHCA, who is trained in EMDR therapy. EMDR may be integrated into ongoing individual therapy or used more directly as the primary focus of treatment depending on the client’s needs and goals.

EMDR at Wise Mind is approached through a broader trauma-informed and relational lens. Treatment is individualized and paced thoughtfully, with attention to emotional regulation, stabilization, coping skills, and creating a strong therapeutic foundation before deeper processing begins. The goal is not simply to revisit difficult experiences, but to help clients process them in a way that reduces suffering and improves present-day functioning, relationships, and emotional stability.