Preparation
We build a foundation first: history, goals, and resourcing skills so you can move in and out of difficult material with support.
EMDR Therapy
Some experiences stay in the body long after they are over.
EMDR is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps the nervous system finish processing what it could not fully digest at the time.
What EMDR is
Not talking it through again—helping it finally settle.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. When something overwhelming happens, the memory can get stored in a raw, unfinished form: the images, sensations, and beliefs stay vivid and reactive, as if the event were still happening.
EMDR uses brief, focused attention on the memory alongside bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess it. The memory remains, but it tends to lose its charge—it becomes something that happened rather than something that keeps happening.
You do not have to narrate every detail out loud for EMDR to work, which makes it a gentler option for experiences that are hard to put into words.
Often helpful for
- Single distressing events—an accident, assault, medical experience, or sudden loss
- Earlier relational or developmental wounds that still shape how you see yourself
- Panic, phobias, and anxiety that logic alone has not resolved
- Beliefs like "I'm not safe" or "I'm not enough" that persist despite evidence
How the work unfolds.
Processing
While you hold a memory in mind, we use gentle bilateral stimulation—eye movements, sound, or tapping—to let the brain do its own reprocessing work.
Integration
We slow down and make sense of what shifted, so the change settles into how you feel, relate, and move through your days.
We never begin processing before you feel steady enough, and you stay in choice throughout. EMDR can be used on its own or woven into our depth-oriented and somatic work, depending on what serves you.
I'm Christine. I can help.
I'm an associate professional clinical counselor (APCC #20063) in Mill Valley, supervised by Laura Rose, LMFT #83808. I see clients in person in Mill Valley and virtually anywhere in California. Learn more about me here.
Share your contact info and I'll reach out. I offer free 15-minute consultations where we can talk about what you're looking for and I can answer any questions you have about how I work.
Phone
(415) 347‑5982Office
655 Redwood Highway, Suite 339
Mill Valley, CA 94941