EMDR Therapy in San Diego, CA

You might be feeling weighed down by painful memories or past trauma, struggling with distressing reminders that interfere with your daily life. Maybe you’ve noticed flashbacks, nightmares, or a heightened sense of anxiety that pulls you back to moments you'd rather leave behind. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and it’s natural to feel exhausted from trying to manage these feelings on your own.

Life’s everyday moments, once easy or joyful, may now feel overwhelming, impacting your relationships, work, and overall sense of peace. You might have tried traditional therapy but still, find yourself searching for a path that truly resonates and moves you forward. That’s where EMDR Therapy in Encinitas can help.

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a specialized approach that helps you process trauma and ease the emotional weight of painful memories through guided eye movements that evoke bilateral stimulation of both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. It’s proven effective for those dealing with PTSD, anxiety, and depression, offering a way to reclaim control over your life and move toward healing.

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holistic mental wellness

EMDR Therapy in San Diego, CA

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what is it?

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a widely-studied trauma-focused therapy. After a person experiences trauma, they often have a difficult time processing what happened. Disturbing events can get stuck in the brain in the form of images, thoughts, feelings and body sensations. EMDR helps individuals process their trauma, which can aid in the brain’s natural healing process.

how does it work?

During each session, we’ll gently explore targeted memories, allowing your brain to reprocess the distressing emotions and thoughts tied to them. This method helps “unstick” your mind from the trauma, creating space for new, healthier perspectives to take hold. Many people describe feeling lighter, more balanced, and better able to handle everyday life after just a few sessions. EMDR therapy uses a structured eight-phase approach that includes:

  • Phase 1: History-taking

  • Phase 2: Preparing the client

  • Phase 3: Assessing the target memory

  • Phases 4-7: Processing the memory to adaptive resolution

  • Phase 8: Evaluating treatment results

What is a Typical session?

A typical EMDR session is structured to help you feel safe and supported as you work through painful memories. We’ll start by discussing your goals and any specific memories you’re ready to address, creating an individualized treatment plan. Once you’re ready, we’ll use bilateral stimulation through a light bar or tones, as you recall specific parts of the memory. This process helps your brain reprocess these memories, gradually reducing the emotional charge they carry.

The Science Behind EMDR Therapy in San Diego

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a highly researched and effective trauma therapy grounded in neuroscience. The approach is based on the adaptive information processing (AIP) model, which posits that emotional health is tied to the brain's ability to process and integrate life experiences. When a distressing event overwhelms this natural processing, the memory can become “stuck” with the original thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, leading to symptoms like anxiety, intrusive memories, and negative self-beliefs.

EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—through eye movements, sounds, or taps—to activate the brain in a way similar to REM sleep, a state where memories are naturally processed. This process "unfreezes" these memories, allowing them to be reprocessed and integrated, significantly reducing their emotional impact. At our San Diego practice, we specialize in EMDR therapy to help clients move beyond the lingering effects of trauma and experience more balanced mental health.

At Nourished Wellness Group, our trained therapists use EMDR to guide clients through this healing process. This helps reduce the lasting effects of trauma and foster a greater sense of peace and resilience.

Accelerate Your Healing with EMDR Intensives in San Diego

At Nourished, we recognize that the healing journey sometimes needs a bit more momentum. That’s why we offer EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Intensives.

  • Our EMDR Intensive sessions provide deep, focused, and uninterrupted therapeutic time to address your needs. Unlike standard therapy sessions, which often last around 50 minutes, these intensives offer a dedicated three-hour block, allowing you to work through experiences at a pace that promotes breakthroughs and lasting change. Whether you’re seeking help with trauma, anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges, EMDR intensives are crafted to help you achieve rapid relief and a new level of inner clarity.

    • Accelerated Progress: Move through layers of healing in a condensed timeframe, so you can begin to feel relief and clarity sooner.

    • Deep Focus: By dedicating uninterrupted time to your healing, you can delve into your experiences without the constraints of shorter sessions.

    • Personalized to You: Our intensives are crafted around your specific needs and goals, allowing us to tailor the approach to what will benefit you most.

  • EMDR Intensives are ideal for clients who:

    • Feel ready to address deep-seated issues that standard sessions may not fully encompass.

    • Prefer a structured, accelerated format for healing.

    • Seek faster relief from specific traumatic memories, anxiety, depression, or chronic stress.

    • Acute or single incident traumas

  • Before beginning an EMDR Intensive, new clients will complete a two-hour intake session. This essential step allows time to build rapport and create a foundation of safety with your EMDR therapist, while offering a thorough understanding of your unique experiences. During this session, you’ll also receive personalized resources and coping strategies to support you throughout the reprocessing work.

    A typical EMDR Intensive includes:

    • A two-hour intake, featuring resourcing practices and tailored treatment planning

    • Collaboration between you and your therapist to determine the optimal schedule for your intensive sessions, whether three, four, or five hours, or a full day depending on your schedule and needs

    We support our clients during the intensive work by scheduling breaks for nervous system regulation and incorporating sensory support via essential oils, weighted blankets, nature connection, body movement, and mindfulness, among many other options.

    • 2-hour initial intake = $450

    • 3-hour reprocessing session = $675

    • 6-hour reprocessing session = $1,350

Benefits of EMDR Therapy in Encinitas

  • Emotional Balance

    Research has demonstrated that EMDR Therapy successfully reduces the vividness, somatic arousal, and emotional intensity associated with distressing memories (Barrowcliff et all., 2004; van den Hout et al., 2013).

  • Neural Rewiring

    “EMDR Therapy changes maladaptive neural networks by connecting the traumatic memory with new information. The distressing thoughts and emotions are blended with new positive thoughts and emotions; embodied awareness allows frozen sensations in the body to resolve through healing movements.”

    -Arielle Schwartz

  • Talk alternative

    EMDR therapy is an accelerated form of therapy, meaning that what other therapeutic approaches may accomplish in many sessions, EMDR can accomplish in significantly fewer sessions. It is also a type of therapy that doesn’t require talking about the details of the actual trauma; rather, participants are asked to think of the trauma and describe what they experience when they think about it.

 Not sure if EMDR is right for you? Let us help.

FAQs About EMDR Therapy in San diego, CA

  • The duration of EMDR therapy varies depending on individual needs and the complexity of the issues being addressed. Some clients may see significant progress within 6-12 sessions, while others may require more time. Each session typically lasts around 60-90 minutes. EMDR therapy in San Diego focuses on helping you process past trauma and reduce its impact, and your therapist will work with you to create a personalized treatment plan that fits your specific situation.

  • During an EMDR session, your therapist will guide you through a series of eye movements or other bilateral stimulation while you focus on a traumatic memory. The goal is to help your brain process and reframe that memory, reducing the emotional intensity. A somatic component is included in the phases of EMDR to help release somatic tension. Sessions are structured yet flexible, and your EMDR therapist in San Diego will ensure that you feel safe and supported throughout the process. Over time, you may notice a decrease in the emotional distress linked to the memory.

  • To find an EMDR therapist in San Diego, look for licensed mental health professionals who are trained and certified in EMDR therapy. At our practice, we offer experienced EMDR therapists who specialize in using this powerful technique to address trauma, anxiety, and other emotional challenges. You can start by scheduling a consultation with us to determine if EMDR may be supportive in your healing journey. 

  • Many insurance plans do cover EMDR treatment in San Diego, but it’s always a good idea to check with your provider for specific details. Coverage often depends on your plan, the type of therapy, and the therapist's credentials. Our team is happy to assist you in verifying your insurance benefits and helping you navigate the process to ensure you receive the care you need.

  • EMDR therapy differs from traditional talk therapy by using bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, to reprocess traumatic memories at a neurological level. This stimulation activates both hemispheres of the brain, helping to desensitize the emotional intensity associated with trauma. While talk therapy focuses on discussing and exploring feelings, EMDR treatment in San Diego works by directly accessing the brain’s natural healing mechanisms, allowing the brain to rewire and process traumatic memories more efficiently. This neurobiological approach often leads to faster and more effective results, especially for those dealing with trauma and PTSD, by reducing the emotional charge of distressing experiences and promoting long-term healing.