EMDR Therapy, Online Across California
Telehealth EMDR anywhere in California with an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist and Approved Consultant.
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Some memories don’t stay in the past. A smell, a tone of voice, or a stretch of highway can bring the whole thing back, and your body reacts before your mind catches up. You may know, logically, that it’s over. It just doesn’t feel over.
EMDR is a therapy built for exactly that gap.
What EMDR is
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It was developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro and has since become one of the most studied treatments for trauma. The World Health Organization and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies both recommend it for PTSD.
It rests on what Shapiro called the Adaptive Information Processing model. Your brain stores experiences in linked networks of thoughts, images, emotions, and body sensations, and you learn by connecting new experiences to what’s already there. When something is more than you can cope with at the time, that processing can stop partway. The memory stays stored with the original fear, images, and sensations still attached, and it can show up later as intrusive thoughts, emotional distress, or harsh beliefs about yourself.
During reprocessing, you bring a memory to mind while following a side-to-side rhythm, usually eye movements, alternating taps, or tones. This is called bilateral stimulation. After short sets, you pause and notice what comes up. Over time, the brain finishes the work it couldn’t do back then. Most people find the memory still exists but loses its grip. It starts to feel like something that happened, not something that’s still happening.
What it can help with
EMDR has its strongest research base in PTSD and trauma. That includes the big events most people picture, and smaller ones that still leave a mark. Never quite fitting in at school, or growing up without the emotional attention you needed, may not look like trauma from an adult vantage point. Left unprocessed, experiences like these can shape the very patterns that keep a problem going.
Our clients come to us for:
- Car accidents, assaults, and other single frightening events
- Painful childhood experiences, including emotional neglect
- Attachment wounds and relationship patterns that keep repeating
- Medical or birth trauma
- Anxiety and panic that seem tied to the past
- Grief and loss
- Specific fears and phobias
- Persistent beliefs like “I’m not safe” or “It was my fault”
You don’t have to tell the whole story
This surprises a lot of people. EMDR doesn’t require you to describe every detail of what happened, out loud, over and over. You stay in control of what you share, and much of the processing happens internally.
How we do EMDR at Satva
EMDR is structured, but it isn’t one-size-fits-all. We don’t rush it.
We start by getting to know you. Your history, what brings you in, and what you want to be different. Together we decide which memories or patterns to work on.
Then we build stability. Before any reprocessing, you’ll learn tools for calming your nervous system so you can handle what comes up, in session and between sessions. Preparation can also mean working through what might get in the way first, like a fear of change or of success. We may use resourcing or other kinds of therapy alongside EMDR to get there. For some people this takes a few sessions. For others, longer. That’s normal, and it’s part of the treatment.
Then we reprocess. Once you feel ready, we work through target memories using bilateral stimulation and check in as we go. As processing completes, the experience can settle alongside thoughts and feelings that point you toward what you actually want.
We close every session with care. You won’t leave in the middle of something raw. Each session ends with time to settle.
Fully online, anywhere in California
All of our EMDR sessions happen over secure video, so you can do this work from your own space, anywhere in California. No commute, no waiting room.
Bilateral stimulation adapts well to telehealth. You might follow a moving point on screen, listen to alternating tones through headphones, or use self-tapping. Research comparing online and in-person EMDR has found similar improvements in trauma, anxiety, and depression symptoms.
All you need is a private space, a stable internet connection, and a computer or tablet (a larger screen works better than a phone). Headphones help.
Who you’ll work with
Our EMDR therapists are Certified EMDR Therapists through EMDRIA and EMDRIA Approved Consultants, which means they don’t just practice EMDR, they train and supervise other clinicians in it. EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association, sets the professional standards for EMDR worldwide, and certification requires extensive training, supervised practice, and ongoing education beyond the basic course.
They bring over a decade of clinical experience to this work. That experience matters most in the moments that don’t go by the textbook, like knowing when to slow down, when to stay with something, and when you’re ready for the next step.
Common questions
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on what you’re working on. A single recent event may resolve in a handful of reprocessing sessions. Long-standing or childhood trauma usually takes longer. We’ll talk about a realistic plan early on.
How long is each session?
Sessions are typically 50 to 90 minutes. Longer sessions give reprocessing room to finish.
Is EMDR hypnosis?
No. You’re awake, aware, and in control the whole time. You can stop at any point.
Will it feel worse before it feels better?
Sometimes old feelings surface during processing, and you might notice dreams or memories between sessions. That’s why we spend time on preparation first, and why we check in throughout.
Can I do EMDR alongside regular therapy?
Yes. Many clients combine EMDR with ongoing talk therapy, either with the same therapist or alongside their current one.
Ready to start?
You don’t have to have it all figured out before reaching out. Book a session and we’ll talk about what’s going on and whether EMDR is a good fit.
Book a session