EMDR Therapy for Adults Impacted by Emotional Abuse or Neglect
Why might EMDR help when emotional abuse or neglect did not involve a single clear trauma?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy that helps the nervous system process experiences that remain emotionally unintegrated.
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Rather than relying on detailed retelling or prolonged exposure, EMDR supports the brain’s natural capacity to reorganize and resolve distress, so past experiences no longer feel as present or destabilizing.
In my work, EMDR is used carefully and intentionally, with attention to pacing, internal stability, and nervous-system safety.
EMDR, Used Thoughtfully
​EMDR is often described as a trauma therapy for specific events. In my work, it is used more carefully and more selectively than that.​ Many adults who grew up in emotionally unsafe or controlling environments do not arrive with a single, obvious trauma. Instead, they carry the impact of repeated emotional experiences that shaped how safe it feels to trust, to rest, or to rely on their own perceptions. EMDR can be helpful in this context, but only when it is paced and grounded properly. ​EMDR in my practice is not about rushing into memory processing or “getting it over with.” It is introduced only when there is enough internal stability to support it.
What EMDR Can Support
When used appropriately, EMDR may help with:
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experiences that still feel “stuck,” even when you understand them
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chronic self-doubt shaped by invalidating or controlling relationships
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emotional shutdown, numbness, or persistent vigilance
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feeling activated in relationships even when you “know better”
This work unfolds gradually and collaboratively. You remain oriented, present, and in control of pacing at all times.
How EMDR Is Used Here
Before any reprocessing begins, we focus on building emotional safety, clarity, and internal containment. This includes understanding how your nervous system learned to adapt, what still feels fragile, and what support is needed to prevent overwhelm or shutdown.​ When EMDR is introduced, it is used to gently loosen the emotional charge around experiences that continue to shape self-doubt, fear, or a sense of threat in relationships. These may be memories of being dismissed, blamed, controlled, or repeatedly made to feel “too much” or “not enough,” rather than a single dramatic event.​ The goal is not emotional intensity. The goal is increased internal steadiness and trust in your own experience.
EMDR as Part of a
Larger Approach
EMDR is not used in isolation. It is integrated with attachment-focused work and an understanding of how long-term emotional environments shape internal patterns. If EMDR is not the right tool at a given point, we do not force it.
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Therapy here is not about applying a technique. It is about choosing the right support at the right time.