EMDR Therapy in Oakland

Evidence-based EMDR therapy for trauma, in Oakland, Berkeley, and the East Bay, and online across California.

What is EMDR?

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps the brain reprocess painful experiences that still feel raw. You briefly bring to mind what happened while following eye movements, taps, or tones. Over time, this can help specific events feel less overwhelming and more like part of your past.

• You don’t have to describe every detail out loud, and you stay in control the whole time.

EMDR within a trusting relationship

I combine EMDR with Relational Psychodynamic therapy. EMDR helps the brain reprocess events. Our relationship provides a safe place for that work to happen, and helps us make sense of what surfaces along the way.

What the research shows

Recommended worldwide. The World Health Organization recommends EMDR for children, adolescents, and adults with PTSD.¹ The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies gives it a strong recommendation for adults and children.²

Lasting results. In a randomized trial of 88 adults with PTSD, 75% of those whose trauma happened in adulthood were symptom-free six months after EMDR, compared with none of those treated with medication (fluoxetine).³ Childhood trauma often takes longer to resolve.

As effective as other leading therapies. A 2024 review of clinical trials found EMDR works as well as other top trauma treatments.⁴

Who I use EMDR with

• Sexual abuse and assault survivors

• Survivors of clergy and religious abuse and religious and spiritual trauma

• Survivors of other trauma

• Executives focused on performance

What to expect

• Getting to know you and what you hope will change

• Building safety with calming tools first

• Processing at your pace, one step at a time

• Integrating the change into your daily life

Sources

1. World Health Organization. (2013). Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress. Geneva: WHO.

2. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. PTSD Prevention and Treatment Guidelines.

3. van der Kolk, B. A., Spinazzola, J., Blaustein, M. E., Hopper, J. W., et al. (2007). A randomized clinical trial of EMDR, fluoxetine, and pill placebo in the treatment of PTSD. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 68(1), 37–46.

4. Wright, S. L., Karyotaki, E., Cuijpers, P., et al. (2024). EMDR v. other psychological therapies for PTSD: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 54(8), 1580–1588.

15 Minute Consultation