EMDR therapy
Healing that reaches where talk therapy can't.
EMDR therapy offers a way forward when talk therapy alone hasn't been enough. When your body still holds onto what your mind has tried to process for years. At Schuster Counseling Group, our therapists use this evidence-based approach to help adults and teens move through trauma, anxiety, and deeply rooted emotional pain without having to relive every detail or spend years in weekly sessions.
EMDR therapy works differently. You've probably already tried to think your way out of it. Maybe you've analyzed the memories, understood why things happened, and even forgiven the people involved. But your nervous system didn't get the memo. Your body still reacts. The triggers still catch you off guard. This approach targets what's stored in your body, not just your thoughts, allowing your brain to finally process and release what's been keeping you stuck.
What Is EMDR and How Does It Work?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured therapeutic approach originally developed to treat PTSD. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn't require you to describe traumatic events in extensive detail. Instead, it uses bilateral stimulation, typically guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones, to help your brain reprocess distressing memories.
When you experience something overwhelming, your brain sometimes stores that memory incorrectly, keeping it feeling present and threatening even years later. EMDR helps move that memory to where it belongs. A place where you can recall it without being emotionally hijacked by it.
The process involves eight phases: history-taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation of positive beliefs, body scan, closure, and reevaluation. Your therapist guides you through each phase at a pace that feels safe and manageable.
Who Benefits from EMDR?
Our group practice works with clients experiencing:
Single-incident trauma: accidents, assault, medical trauma, or other one-time events
Complex trauma: childhood abuse, neglect, attachment wounds, or unsafe environments
Anxiety and panic: persistent worry, panic attacks, or anxiety that doesn't respond to logic
Postpartum concerns: birth trauma, pregnancy loss, or intrusive thoughts
Performance blocks: high-achievers experiencing imposter syndrome or self-sabotage
Grief: complicated loss intertwined with other painful memories
EMDR is particularly effective for people who've "talked about it enough" but haven't experienced lasting relief. If you understand your history intellectually but still feel emotionally reactive or stuck in patterns you can't break, EMDR may offer something different.
EMDR Intensives: Accelerated Healing
For clients who want significant progress in a condensed timeframe, we offer EMDR Intensives. These are extended sessions that allow for deeper, more concentrated work.
Intensives are ideal for time-starved professionals who can't commit to weekly appointments, those preparing for major life events, or anyone who's plateaued in traditional therapy. During an Intensive, we move through multiple phases in a single session, achieving shifts that might take months in standard 50-minute appointments.
What to Expect at Our Practice
Getting Started: Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to ensure fit. Complete easy online onboarding through Sessions Health, then match with a therapist who specializes in your needs.
First Session: Your therapist learns your story, identifies what's working and what's not, clarifies goals, and maps out a treatment plan, including EMDR readiness if applicable.
Ongoing Care: Expect consistent sessions (weekly or intensive), evidence-based treatment adapted to you, secure messaging for coordination, flexible online options, and a therapist genuinely invested in your progress.
Begin Your EMDR Journey
You don't have to keep managing symptoms that shouldn't still be running your life. Our team at Schuster Counseling Group is here to help you move forward with skill, care, and genuine human connection.
We offer both in-person and online sessions throughout our service areas. Reach out through our website to learn more or schedule a consultation.
Service Locations:
Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR Therapy
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The timeline varies based on what you're processing. Some clients notice shifts after a few sessions, particularly with single-incident trauma. Complex trauma may require more time. Your therapist will give you realistic expectations during initial sessions.
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Yes. Anxiety often connects to earlier experiences we don't immediately recognize as formative. EMDR can identify and process these underlying contributors even without obvious traumatic origins.
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
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No. During reprocessing, you can keep much of the content internal. You share only what feels necessary, making EMDR ideal for those who find detailed recounting retraumatizing.
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EMDR helps process memories you're aware of. You might make connections to related experiences, but it isn't designed to uncover "hidden" memories.
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Your therapist teaches grounding techniques during preparation and monitors your distress throughout. You're always in control and can stop anytime.
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Absolutely. Memories stored dysfunctionally 30 years ago can still be reprocessed today. Distance from original events doesn't diminish effectiveness.
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EMDR uses bilateral stimulation and focuses on how memories are stored rather than building insight through verbal processing. It works more directly with the nervous system.
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Yes. Research supports virtual EMDR's effectiveness. Our therapists are experienced in telehealth delivery and will help determine what format works best for you.
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Processing continues naturally between sessions. Your therapist may suggest journaling or grounding techniques, but formal homework isn't typically required.