Gargi Patel
LMFT #101986
EMDR Therapy in California.
An evidence-based therapy for trauma and PTSD. I offer EMDR virtually to clients located in California.
WHAT IS EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based psychotherapy developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987. It uses bilateral stimulation, typically guided eye movements, while a client briefly brings to mind a distressing memory, which helps the brain reprocess the memory so it no longer triggers the same intense physical and emotional response.
How a session works.
An EMDR session looks different from talk therapy. After we've spent the first few sessions building a working understanding of your history and what you want to work on, an EMDR session typically follows this rhythm:
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You identify a specific memory or theme to work on.
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You bring it to mind briefly: image, body sensation, the belief about yourself attached to it.
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I guide bilateral stimulation: usually eye movements (following my finger or a moving dot on screen), sometimes alternating sounds or tapping.
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You notice whatever comes up, sensations, thoughts, images, and emotions, without trying to control or direct it.
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We pause, check in, and continue in sets until the memory has been processed enough for one session.
The work is paced. We don't go faster than your nervous system can handle. A full session of EMDR processing is contained within a 50-minute frame, and most clients leave the session more settled, not more activated.
What it's used for.
EMDR is most studied for and effective with:
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including from single-incident trauma like an accident, assault, or sudden loss
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Complex / developmental trauma: chronic relational or childhood adversity
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Anxiety, panic, and phobias
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Grief that has gotten stuck
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Self-concept work: disrupting the negative beliefs that traumatic experiences install ("I'm not safe," "It was my fault," "I'm too much")
Evidence base.
EMDR is recognized as an effective treatment for PTSD by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. There are over 30 randomized controlled trials of EMDR for PTSD, with effect sizes comparable to or greater than trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.
EMDR vs. Brainspotting.
These two modalities are often confused. Both work with the body and brain rather than only language, and both are useful for trauma. The differences:
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EMDR is a structured 8-phase protocol with active bilateral stimulation.
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Brainspotting is less protocol-driven; the therapist helps the client find a fixed eye position, and the client tracks what arises from that point of focus.
Some clients prefer the more structured feel of EMDR; others prefer the open quality of Brainspotting. I'll often draw on both depending on what's needed.
Is EMDR right for me?
EMDR tends to work well for people who:
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Have specific memories or events that still carry a strong charge
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Have already done some talk therapy and want to go further
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Are open to experiential, body-based work
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Are reasonably stable in their day-to-day life (EMDR isn't a first intervention during acute crisis)
It may not be the right starting place if you're in active crisis, in active addiction without stabilization, or if you don't yet have basic nervous-system regulation tools. We'd build those first.
