You can know that you’re safe, capable, or worthy and still have an emotional response that tells you otherwise.
We know the difference between processing something and just talking in circles.
- You've tried talk therapy but feel like it didn't get you anywhere
- You can make high-stakes decisions at work but second-guess yourself endlessly outside the office
- You know you're in a healthy relationship but still anxious, guarded, and waiting for something to go wrong
EMDR helps your brain and body process past experiences so they carry less emotional weight in the present.
What EMDR Therapy With Us Is Like
The goal is to help the past feel more like the past.
You’ll be able to remember what happened without feeling like you’re being emotionally hijacked by the past.
We'll help you reprocess those experiences so they can begin to feel less emotionally charged.
We get clear on what you want to change. Then we look at the experiences, memories, and beliefs that are still influencing how you respond today.
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EMDR Therapy With Results
- Difficult memories feel less intense
- Less emotional reactivity
- Calmer response to triggers
- Greater trust in themselves
- Less anxiety and overthinking
- Healthier relationship patterns
- More confident setting boundaries
- Feeling safer in the present
Types of Therapy I Use
👋🏼 Hi, I'm Natalie.
One thing I’ve learned as a therapist is that you can understand yourself incredibly well and still feel stuck.
That’s the main reason I was drawn to EMDR. I work with many thoughtful, self-aware people who have spent years analyzing their patterns, but their anxiety, self-doubt, or emotional reactions haven’t changed just because they understand them.
I’m good at noticing when talking something through is helping and when we’re going in circles. In those moments, I bring in EMDR, somatic work, IFS, or nervous system regulation to help us work with what you’re experiencing in a different way.
My style is warm, curious, and gently challenging. I want therapy to feel comfortable enough that you can be honest, but engaged enough that we don’t keep circling the same territory.
Availability: I offer EMDR therapy in our Manhattan office and via telehealth throughout New York state.
About Me
FAQs
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. During EMDR therapy, you'll identify and resolve experiences, memories, beliefs, or situations that continue to create distress, overwhelm, or other dysregulating feelings.
EMDR helps people process the information within these experiences in a very different way than traditional talk therapy. The structure of EMDR doesn’t require you to retell every detail of what happened; in fact, one of its benefits is that you don’t have to talk about the trauma directly at all. That’s incredibly powerful for people who feel shut down or overwhelmed putting their distressing memories into words.
Some people make this assumption, due to the back-and-forth eye movements shared by both exercises. But EMDR is not hypnosis. You remain fully aware and in control throughout the process.
There are eight stages of EMDR, with each stage building on the last.
1. History-taking
Your therapist learns about your background and identifies target memories to work on.
2. Preparation
You develop coping strategies and grounding techniques to help regulate your emotions.
3. Assessment
You identify the specific image, negative belief, emotions, and body sensations connected to the target memory.
4. Desensitization
You engage in bilateral stimulation while recalling the memory, allowing distress to decrease over time.
5. Installation
You strengthen a positive belief to replace the old negative one (e.g., “I am safe now” instead of “I’m powerless”).”
6. Body Scan
You check for any lingering tension or activation in the body and process it as needed.
7. Closure
You return to a state of stability before ending the session. This helps prevent emotional spillover.
8. Reevaluation
At your next session, you and your therapist assess progress and decide whether to continue with the same memory or move on.
No. While EMDR is widely known for treating trauma and PTSD, it can also be helpful for anxiety, depression, difficult life experiences, relationship patterns, chronic stress, and negative beliefs about yourself. Many people seek EMDR because they feel stuck in recurring emotional reactions, even if they don't identify with having experienced a single traumatic event.
Many people who benefit from EMDR don't describe their experiences as "trauma." Growing up with constant criticism, emotional neglect, high expectations, bullying, difficult relationships, or prolonged stress can shape how you think, feel, and respond long after those experiences are over. During your consultation, we'll explore what's bringing you to therapy and whether EMDR may be an appropriate approach.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer for how long EMDR will take. The number of sessions depends on your goals, the experiences you're working through, and whether EMDR is being used on its own or alongside ongoing therapy. Some people notice meaningful shifts after addressing a specific memory, while others benefit from longer-term work to process multiple experiences and longstanding patterns.
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