Holistic EMDR Therapy in Los Angeles, CA
Many of us aren't aware of when we experience trauma. But if you react in a physical or emotional way when recalling events from your past, you may be experiencing trauma.
Trauma can take many forms: exhaustion, anxiety, hyper-alertness, panic attacks, digestive issues, mood swings… all of these are normal.
EMDR therapy in Los Angeles is one of the most effective ways to treat trauma. EMDR stands for “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.” It’s an intimidating-sounding name, but more therapists don’t think that it describes what EMDR looks like in practice (not to mention that we think it’s a silly acronym). But it works. It can help you rewire the connection between thoughts and emotions, which allows you to reprocess a traumatic event so you no longer have the same reaction.
If you're ready to live a life less burdened by trauma, our holistic EMDR therapists in Los Angeles are here to help you. Scheduling a FREE 15-minute phone consultation with our Care Coordinator to take the first step!
our approach to trauma -
Trauma can completely disrupt your life. After experiencing a traumatic event, you may feel broken, as if the person you once were shattered into a million pieces.
We believe that you have an innate ability to feel whole. With EMDR therapy, we help you find it.
As much as we may try to compartmentalize our thoughts, feelings, and memories, they impact every aspect of our lives. We try to repress or numb unpleasant emotions, but this only prolongs our suffering.
An EMDR therapist from our team can help you work through this. We will support you in re-processing your trauma so it no longer holds you back or controls your life.
Even though trauma can leave you forever changed, you are not doomed to a lifetime of suffering. You can heal, and we believe that taking an integrated approach is the most effective way to do so.
On the surface, it may seem that trauma is a purely emotional experience. While it’s true that we must consider our feelings when making sense of trauma, emotions are only part of the equation.
Trauma affects our bodies as well. The nervous system can change after we experience trauma, leaving us more sensitive to certain stimuli or triggers.
EMDR therapy taps into the nervous system and helps us regain control. By stimulating it in a safe way, you can reprocess the event (or events) and teach your body to be less reactive to those triggers.
Most forms of therapy can be practiced through a holistic lens. But, EMDR therapy is an inherently integrative approach. This is because it incorporates physical and emotional elements.
As holistic therapists, we treat the mind, body, and spirit. So when we process your trauma using EMDR therapy, we bring awareness to your physical, emotional, and spiritual trauma.
our EMDR-trained therapists -
resha altai
Resha brings a heart-centered and intuitive approach to therapy. Like all our therapists, Resha views mental wellness through a holistic lens.
stephanie harimoto
Stephanie is passionate about supporting clients who are processing past trauma—allowing them a space to fully seen and heard along the way.
sarah callender
Sarah uses creativity, honesty, curiosity, and humor to create a safe environment in which to share, explore and find healing.
Jenny Walters
Jenny is the founder of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy. In EMDR therapy, Jenny takes a warm and grounded approach as she integrates the mind, body, and spirit.
how does EMDR therapy work?
To understand EMDR therapy, you should understand how memories work in our brains.
How traumatic memories work in our brains
In our brains, memories are stored as neural networks. Traumatic memories are dysfunctional neural networks that limit our ability to process and resolve traumatic stress.
These dysfunctional neural networks are connected to other memories through things like:
Smell
Sight
Taste
Sound
Emotions
Thoughts
People
Beliefs
Physical sensations
Traumatic memories are connected to other memories. But, they are disconnected from positive emotions. Our emotions about traumatic memories are often stored in our brain's right hemisphere. At the same time, positive emotions are associated with the left hemisphere.
Neural networks of traumatic memories do not communicate across the right and left hemispheres. Thus, making us unable to heal traumatic memories with positive reframing.
How EMDR therapy helps us process traumatic memories
EMDR therapy helps bridge the gap between traumatic memories and reprocessing. If we don't intervene, we are likely stuck experiencing the same trauma over and over again.
To bridge this gap, EMDR therapy uses "bi-lateral stimulation" or BLS. BLS can take a few different forms, like pulsars, audio tones, or eye movements that alternate between the body's left and right sides. It sounds intimidating, but it’s as simple as watching a light move from right to left or tapping the tops of your legs back and forth.
DAS is meant to stimulate both sides of your brain to integrate positive emotions, thoughts, and sensations into the memory. By doing so, the traumatic memory doesn't trigger you in the same way.
EMDR FAQs-
EMDR therapy has been around for 30 years and has gone through rigorous evidence-based testing, but it may seem a bit strange to you.
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Many people think trauma is reserved for those who experienced very disturbing events. But, many events can cause trauma, like:
Abuse
Natural disasters
Gaslighting
Medical problems
Witnessing something violent
And more.
Ask yourself if you've noticed any of the following:
Panic attacks
Mood swings
Insomnia or night terrors
Anger and irritability
Social withdrawal
Feelings of shame and guilt
Hyper-alertness
Quick heart rate
High blood pressure
Feeling numb or disconnected
Difficulty concentrating
Any of the above can be a sign of trauma.
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For those who experience trauma, recalling the traumatic memory might seem counterintuitive to healing. Some of your memories might cause you a lot of pain, and we don't want to re-traumatize you. But this recall is crucial to healing, and you can experience EMDR and not be re-traumatized.
In fact, research shows us that we can’t make the trauma worse or re-traumatize you with EMDR therapy.
Keep in mind that while you receive EMDR, your therapist is closely observing you. If your EMDR therapist notices that you are displaying signs of distress like anxiety, jaw clenching, foot tapping, etc. they will dial it back. You are also free to tell your therapist that it's a bit too much and that you need to pause.
Listening to your body will help you heal. If you're upset, notice and express those emotions.
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If you believe that you are living with trauma, EMDR can help you. EMDR can also help with many different things like anxiety, chronic pain, grief, eating disorders, fears, and addiction.
Keep in mind that EMDR isn't traditional psychotherapy. While most forms of psychotherapy involve verbally processing your emotions, EMDR actively involves your body too. Therapists also receive training in EMDR specifically. It's a protocol, meaning there are steps that your trauma therapist will guide you through.
If you're only interested in traditional types of talk therapy, EMDR therapy may not be right for you.
Begin EMDR Therapy in Los Angeles, CA -
If you're interested in EMDR therapy in Los Angeles, contact us today to meet with one of our EMDR therapists. We understand the toll that trauma takes on a person, and we would be honored to help you from our Los Angeles, CA-based practice. You can schedule a complimentary phone consultation with Highland Park Therapy by clicking the button below.
Other Services Offered With Highland Park Therapy
Our team of caring therapists is happy to offer a variety of mental health services to offer support for you and your family. We understand you are a complex person that may experience more than one mental health concern. This is why we are happy to offer online therapy and in-person therapy services from the Los Angeles, CA area, and across the state. Other services we offer include depression treatment, teen therapy, grief counseling, online therapy, eating disorders, and LGBTQ+ therapy. We would be honored to support you in overcoming past trauma. You can also read more by visiting our blog, FAQ, about us, or groups page.