EMDR Therapy

Therapy for Trauma and PTSD

In-person trauma therapy in Riverside

Online Therapy in California

EMDR Therapy has the ability to help you heal from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Trauma and Therapy

Healing from trauma is possible.

Trauma and traumatic experiences are described as anything that overwhelms our nervous system and ability to cope. Traumatic experiences have the ability to impact our relationships and overall well being. Trauma can show up as flashbacks, distressing memories among other symptoms. Please know, there is evidenced based techniques designed to help address and reduce the negative effects of trauma.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: is a powerful therapy protocol developed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories (Shapiro, 1989a, 1989b). As a Certified EMDR therapist, I will guide you to think about a trauma while moving your eyes back and forth, left to right. Over time, this will help your brain reprocess the memories and with time reduce the impact of the distressing memories.

EMDR is an evidence based intervention used for

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Woman Journaling

“Although we can never make the trauma go away, can learn to separate ourselves from it and in return, free ourselves from the suffering”.

Fabiola Pacheco, LCSW- EMDR Therapist

Impacts of Trauma on our Nervous System:

Trauma can have lasting effects on someone’s emotional wellbeing, sense of self and even impact our physical wellbeing. 

Common Trauma Symptoms:
  • Difficulty relating to others and  struggles with our ability to trust.
  • Distressing memories, images, or nightmares.
  • Relationship struggles and self sabotaging behaviors due to attachment wounds.
  • Struggles with self-esteem and self worth.
  • Difficulties expressing emotions or managing them.
  • Self blame, depression and shame.
  • Hyper-vigilance and difficulty managing stress response system. 
  • Easily reactive and emotional highs and lows
  • Nightmares, distressing flashbacks, panic, anxiety.
  • Unhealthy coping skills like heavy drinking, drug use and unhealthy relationships.

Grey Space Therapy Inc.

EMDR Certified Therapy in Riverside CA

How We Can Help as Trauma Therapist

Safe & Supportive Environment: Finding a therapist you connect with and that you know will be able to help you through a difficult time is our top priority.

Break Free from Undisclosed Trauma: Often times clients come to us never having previously disclosed their trauma. We are here to help.

Healing:Together we will develop an individualized plan to help address impacts trauma has had on your current life and relationships

Get Answers: Through education we empower our clients to get answers about how their trauma has impacted their life and common trauma responses.

Develop Healthy Coping: Together we will help you learn health coping skills including mindfulness exercises, grounding skills and emotional regulation techniques.

Attachment Relationship Work: Complex trauma often has a direct correlation to attachment struggles. Together we will explore attachment wounds and what is holding you back.

Reduce distress and emotional/physical reaction: EMDR Therapy will help reduce distressing memories and trauma impacts.

“EMDR therapy helps us reduce the physical and emotional response that happens when we talk about our trauma”.

“EMDR therapy teaches our body that we are safe and it no longer needs to react to that past trauma”.

What is EMDR Therapy

How Does EMDR Work?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy works from an 8 phase approach framework. Each phase focuses on various aspects of the trauma healing. It is important to note each phase will vary depending on how client responds to treatment and the symptom severity.

  • Phase 1: History and Treatment Planning- The therapist will ask you questions about you and your history. During this time we will identify distressing memories, current struggles and develop a treatment plan on what we will work on.

  • Phase 2: Preparation-Developing resources/coping skills are key to trauma processing. During this phase we will go more in detail on the adaptive information process (AIP) model and how EMD therapy works. We will teach you imagery and stress reducing resources to help with processing.

  • Phase 3: Assessment also referred to as target selection. In this phase we will identify targets and listen them on your treatment plan. Once a target is selected we will begin to identify how the target is stored using various information points.

  • Phase 4: Desensitization focuses on using bilateral stimulation (eye movement, tappers) to process the traumatic event. This phase can take multiple sessions depending on the level of distress accompanied by the trauma.

  • Phase 5: Installation focuses on helping the client identify more adaptive responses to trauma so that the emotional response is reduced.

  • Phase 6: Body Scan is performed to assess body sensation and ensure trauma was processed.

  • Phase 7: Closure-Therapist focuses on helping client regulate by using a variety of self calming techniques.

  • Phase 8: Reevaluation- is done at the beginning of every session to determine progress and continue treatment plan.

The 8 phases of EMDR Therapy

EMDR Explained

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