EMDR Therapy · Los Angeles & California Telehealth
EMDR Therapy in Los Angeles
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing- one of the most effective, evidence-based treatments for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and more. Available in West LA and throughout California via telehealth.
Healing Trauma Without Having to Relive Every Detail
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps people recover from the lasting effects of traumatic experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR does not require you to describe your experience in detail or complete homework between sessions. Instead, it works by activating the brain's natural information-processing system to resolve memories that have become stuck.
EMDR is endorsed by the World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as an effective treatment for PTSD and trauma. At Sol Shine Wellness Group, our therapists use EMDR with adults and teens across a range of presentations. From single-incident trauma to complex, developmental, and relational trauma.
How EMDR Works
When something traumatic happens, the brain sometimes fails to process the experience the way it would a normal memory. Instead, the memory gets stored with all its original emotions, physical sensations, and beliefs intact, and can be triggered by reminders in everyday life, causing the same distress as if the event were happening again.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, typically guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones, while you hold a targeted memory in mind. This dual attention activates the brain's adaptive information processing system, allowing the memory to be reprocessed and stored in a way that no longer triggers intense distress. The memory doesn't disappear, but it loses its emotional charge and becomes something that happened in the past, rather than something that feels present and overwhelming.
What EMDR Can Help With
PTSD
Single-incident and complex PTSD following accidents, assaults, natural disasters, medical emergencies, or other overwhelming events.
Complex & Developmental Trauma
Prolonged or repeated trauma from childhood abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or chronic emotional harm.
Anxiety & Panic
Anxiety rooted in past experiences, including panic disorder, social anxiety, and phobias with a traumatic origin.
Eating Disorders
Trauma and adverse experiences that underlie or maintain disordered eating, body image distress, and eating disorder behaviors.
OCD
EMDR can be integrated with ERP or I-CBT when OCD co-occurs with trauma or when traumatic memories fuel obsessional themes.
Grief & Loss
Complicated grief, traumatic loss, and bereavement that has become stuck or overwhelming.
Relational & Attachment Wounds
Early relational trauma, betrayal, and attachment injuries that affect self-worth, trust, and the ability to feel safe in relationships.
Performance & Identity
Negative core beliefs about self- 'I am not enough', 'I am not safe', 'I am to blame'- that limit functioning and wellbeing.
A Structured Path Through Processing
The Eight Phases of EMDR
EMDR follows a structured eight-phase protocol developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro. Each phase has a specific purpose, and your therapist will move through them at a pace that is safe and appropriate for your history and current stability.
1. History & Treatment Planning
Your therapist gathers a thorough history, identifies target memories and current triggers, and develops a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
2. Preparation
You learn stabilization and resourcing skills- grounding techniques, safe-place imagery, and containment strategies — to ensure you can manage distress between sessions.
3. Assessment
The target memory is activated: you identify the image, negative belief, emotions, and body sensations associated with it, and establish a baseline distress level.
4. Desensitization
Using bilateral stimulation, you process the target memory in sets until its emotional intensity decreases to a neutral or manageable level.
5. Installation
A positive belief about yourself is identified and strengthened, replacing the negative belief that was linked to the traumatic memory.
6. Body Scan
You scan your body for any remaining tension or discomfort related to the target memory, which is then processed if present.
7. Closure
Each session ends with grounding and stabilization to ensure you leave feeling safe and settled, regardless of where processing ended.
8. Reevaluation
At the start of subsequent sessions, your therapist checks in on previously processed memories and assesses readiness to continue.
Insurance & Fees
We accept Anthem Blue Cross, United Healthcare, Optum, and Aetna. We also offer private pay and can provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement. Contact us to verify your specific benefits before your first session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Start Processing?
EMDR can help you move from surviving to living — without having to relive every detail. Our therapists are here to guide you through the process at a pace that feels safe.
