What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps individuals process distressing experiences by working with how the brain stores and responds to difficult memories, rather than relying only on talk therapy.

Is EMDR appropriate for teens?

Yes, EMDR can be adapted to be developmentally appropriate for adolescents, helping them safely process difficult experiences while building emotional regulation and resilience.

How does EMDR help with emotional regulation?

EMDR works with the nervous system to reduce the intensity of distressing memories, helping individuals feel calmer, more regulated, and less reactive in daily life.

What makes EMDR different from traditional therapy?

Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR focuses on how the brain processes and stores memories, allowing individuals to resolve distress at a neurological level rather than only discussing it.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Evidence-based therapy for young adults in Los Angeles navigating trauma, anxiety, distressing experiences, and emotional patterns that can be difficult to move past.

Sometimes you know something is in the past, but your mind and body still respond as though it isn’t. Certain situations may bring up anxiety, fear, shame, intrusive memories, or reactions that feel stronger than you expect.

EMDR helps the brain process distressing experiences so they feel less emotionally intense and have less influence over how you feel and respond in the present.

At Kincove, EMDR is paced around your needs and readiness. It can be used on its own or incorporated into ongoing individual therapy.

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When EMDR Can Help

EMDR can be useful when something you’ve experienced continues to shape how you feel, see yourself, or respond now, even when you understand intellectually that the experience is over.

This may include:

Trauma or other distressing experiences
Anxiety, fears, or phobias
Intrusive memories or reminders that bring up strong reactions
Grief or loss
Bullying, rejection, or difficult relationship experiences
Medical experiences, accidents, or injuries
Negative beliefs about yourself connected to past experiences

You don’t need to have experienced one major traumatic event for EMDR to be appropriate. Sometimes the experiences that stay with us happen repeatedly or build over time.

What EMDR Looks Like

1. Building Safety & Understanding

Your therapist first takes time to understand what you’ve been experiencing, how it’s affecting you, and what you want to work on. You’ll also identify ways to feel grounded before processing begins.

You’ll know what to expect and move at a pace that feels manageable.

2. Identifying What Feels Stuck

Together, you identify memories, situations, thoughts, or emotional responses that may still be affecting you in the present.

This may involve a specific experience or a pattern of experiences that has shaped how you see yourself, relate to others, or respond.

3. Processing With EMDR

When you’re ready, your therapist uses bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating tapping, while helping you process the thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations connected to the experience.

You remain aware and in control throughout the process, and can slow down or pause at any time.

4. Checking Progress

Over time, your therapist looks for changes in distress, reactions, beliefs, and behaviors connected to the experience.

Treatment is adjusted based on how you respond rather than following a set pace.

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Frequently Asked Questions

EMDR may be helpful if something you’ve experienced in the past still feels present in your life now. That might look like anxiety, strong emotional reactions, intrusive memories, avoidance, negative beliefs about yourself, or patterns you understand but still have a hard time changing.
We’ll talk about what you’re experiencing and whether EMDR makes sense for what you want to work on.
Your therapist will guide you through bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or alternating tapping, while you notice thoughts, emotions, memories, or physical sensations connected to the experience.
You’re awake and aware throughout the process, and you can pause at any point.
There isn’t a set number of sessions. Some people are working through a specific experience, while others are addressing patterns connected to multiple experiences over time.
The pace depends on what you’re working on and how you respond to treatment.
No. EMDR is often associated with trauma and PTSD, but it can also be used for anxiety, fears, grief, rejection, difficult relationship experiences, and other experiences that continue to affect you.
You don’t need to know exactly what experience is connected to how you feel. Your therapist can help you identify memories, beliefs, or patterns that may be contributing to what you’re experiencing now and determine where to begin.
Yes. EMDR can be a focused service on its own or incorporated into individual therapy. We’ll help you determine which approach makes the most sense for what you’re looking for.