There’s a way through the heaviness.
TRAUMA & EMDR THERAPY
YOU’RE EXHAUSTED FROM THE PAST IMPACTING YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE
Some memories don’t stay in the past and you just spin and ruminate on them. They show up in your body, sleep and your day-to-day reactions before you even know why. EMDR helps your brain finish processing them so they stop running the show. Trauma can result from the impact of stressful event(s) or experience(s) that results in feeling stuck and frozen in time with painful feelings and negative thoughts/beliefs.
Sometimes trauma can show up as other mental health concerns that once worked through, access to trauma processing is possible.
Feel FAMILIAR?
Feeling burned out and stressed out
Cant stop racing and intrusive thoughts
Cant shut your brain off
It all just feels like too much
Here’s what we’ll do together
THE TRAUMA THERAPY EXPERIENCE
FEELING BETTER IS POSSIBLE
Trauma therapy is a supportive and structured process that helps individuals work through distressing experiences that continue to impact their daily lives. This therapeutic approach often includes the use of mindfulness techniques, somatic experiencing practices, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help reduce the intensity and frequency of trauma-related symptoms. By addressing the emotional and physical effects of trauma, clients can begin to heal, regain a sense of safety, and improve their overall quality of life.
EMDR TRAUMA THERAPY IN NORTH CAROLINA AND NEBRASKA
Let’s go with that
MORE ABOUT EMDR
It stands for Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing and is one tool that can assist in trauma processing. EMDR is an evidence-based technique to process trauma with a licensed and trained professional. It may seem a little hooky, but the process is to help your brain realign with your body. Because of trauma, your body responds to stimuli or day to day life with some sensitivity that sometimes doesn’t actually relate to the immediate stimuli.
Trigger warning
Have you ever been told “you are over-reacting”? Well, that’s potentially a trauma response and part of your body activated. When we have experienced something traumatic, it leaves a fingerprint that can show up at any time. It’s almost like watching a scene in a movie over and over trying to figure out how to move on to the rest of the movie, just a seemingly never ending loop.
How EMDR works
Trauma memories are stuck on the same “loop” while your body is remembering them as if it was happening RIGHT NOW! That can be incredibly stressful and draining.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a trauma-focused therapy that helps the brain process and integrate distressing memories. During EMDR sessions, clients are guided to recall traumatic experiences while engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, tapping, or sounds. This process helps “unstick” painful memories and reduces their emotional intensity, allowing the brain to reprocess the trauma in a healthier, more adaptive way. Over time, EMDR can lead to a significant decrease in trauma symptoms and emotional distress.
To set this up, we do a session or two creating mental safety and empowerment (building and reinforcing your strengths) to be able to tackle the trauma memory. During the session, I watch for micromovements, or body language shifts while you sit in a meditative process state working through the “loop”. You “check in” with me verbally every so often so I can see where I can help “reprocess” that piece to hopefully create the “ah ha” light bulb moment. I’m there to assist but for the most part you are doing all of the work.
EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or completing homework between sessions. I LOVE working with EMDR because talking to a stranger about a traumatic memory can be the HARDEST thing to do, and I actually don’t need to know much of the memory to help you process it!
Together we will pursue a reduction in your symptoms by creating an EMDR therapy treatment plan based upon what is important to you. Some conditions for which EMDR may be effective include: Distressing memories, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), perfectionism, various trauma related to career experiences, grief, insomnia, anxiety and addiction issues.
TRAUMA DOESN’T HAVE TO HOLD YOU BACK
YOU MIGHT NEED trauma therapy IF YOU EXPERIENCE:
Avoidance Reminders
Dates, times, situations that might remind you of your traumatic experience.
01
Intrusive Thoughts
Thoughts that are repeated, involuntary almost feeling out of the blue, distressing (beliefs/dreams) or flashbacks.
02
Negative Thoughts and Feelings
Thinking about yourself that have distortions (“I’m a failure” “I’m useless”) with persistent feelings like anger, shame, fear, guilt along with other ways of detaching.
03
Reactivity and arousal issues
Being startled easily, hyper-sensitivity, self-destructive behavior, anger outburst, difficulty focusing or decompressing/sleeping.
04
Change is possible.
I’LL HELP YOU GET THERE.
FAQs
COMMON QUESTIONS
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Absolutely. You don't need a formal PTSD diagnosis to explore trauma therapy or EMDR. Many people seek EMDR because past experiences are affecting their relationships, confidence, stress levels, emotional reactions, or ability to feel safe and present in their everyday lives. If you're experiencing the effects of trauma, chronic stress, anxiety, grief, or overwhelming life experiences, a trauma-informed therapist can help you determine whether EMDR is an appropriate fit. Tread Deep Counseling provides trauma-focused therapy in North Carolina and Nebraska, with nature-based and experiential approaches available as part of the therapeutic process.
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EMDR can feel different for everyone. Trauma processing can bring up emotions or physical sensations, but you and your therapist will work together to stay within a manageable window rather than forcing you to push through. Tread Deep's approach is collaborative, experiential, and grounded in nervous-system awareness, so therapy isn't about simply sitting still and talking about painful things for an hour.
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Not necessarily. EMDR does involve talking about aspects of a difficult experience, but you don't have to repeatedly describe every painful detail for trauma processing to happen. Your therapist will work with you to develop grounding and nervous-system regulation skills before beginning trauma processing, and you’ll move through the process at a pace that feels manageable. EMDR can be adapted to your needs, whether you're working through a single traumatic event, complex trauma, or experiences from childhood.