EMDR Therapy in Alpharetta, GA

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

EMDR works differently from traditional talk therapy. Rather than spending sessions talking through a traumatic experience in detail, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, typically guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones, to help your brain reprocess distressing memories. The goal is to change the way those memories are stored so they no longer carry the same emotional intensity. A memory that once triggered panic, shame, or overwhelming sadness can, after EMDR processing, become something you recall without being pulled back into the pain of the original experience.

This process is grounded in what’s known as the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which suggests that many psychological symptoms stem from memories that were stored in a maladaptive way during or after a distressing event. EMDR helps your brain do what it’s naturally wired to do: process and integrate those experiences so they stop disrupting your present.

What an EMDR Session Looks Like

EMDR follows a structured eight-phase protocol, but you don’t need to memorize the phases to benefit from it. Here’s what you can actually expect.

Your first sessions 

We’ll focus on building a foundation. Your therapist will take a thorough history, learn about the experiences that bring you to therapy, and assess whether EMDR is the right fit. You’ll also learn stabilization and coping techniques that you can use during and between sessions to stay grounded. This preparation phase is essential. Your therapist won’t begin reprocessing until you have the tools to manage the emotional intensity that can come with it.

Reprocessing session

During a reprocessing session, your therapist will ask you to bring a specific memory to mind, along with the emotions, body sensations, and negative beliefs associated with it. While you hold that memory in awareness, your therapist will guide you through sets of bilateral stimulation, which might involve following their hand with your eyes, holding small vibrating devices called “tappers,” or listening to alternating tones through headphones. After each set, you’ll briefly share what came up: a thought, a feeling, a physical sensation, a shift in the memory. Your therapist uses your responses to guide the next set.

The experience varies from person to person. Some clients describe it as watching a movie of the memory from a slight distance, with the emotional charge gradually fading. Others notice physical releases, like tension leaving the shoulders or a tightness in the chest loosening. Some sessions feel intense in the moment. Others feel surprisingly gentle. Your therapist monitors your experience throughout and adjusts the pace to ensure you feel safe and supported.

After a session

You may continue processing for a day or two. You might notice vivid dreams, shifts in how you think about the memory, or feelings surfacing that weren’t there before. This is a normal part of the process. Your therapist will check in at the beginning of the next session and help you work through anything that came up.

Most clients begin to notice meaningful shifts within 6 to 12 sessions, though the timeline depends on the complexity of what you’re working through. Some people with a single-incident trauma see significant improvement in just a few sessions. Those processing complex or longstanding trauma may benefit from a longer course of treatment.

Our EMDR Therapists

At Kellen Mental Health, EMDR therapy is provided by clinicians with specialized training in trauma and EMDR protocols.

Mariah Sylvia, LPC is a trauma-informed EMDR specialist who works with older teens and adults navigating anxiety, unresolved trauma, grief, disordered eating, and body image concerns. Mariah integrates EMDR with CBT, mindfulness practices, and solution-focused techniques.

Leigh Fisher, LCSW, CCTP is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional who works with individuals and couples dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, trauma, and major life transitions. Leigh incorporates EMDR alongside other evidence-based approaches to provide comprehensive trauma care.

Choose Kellen Mental Health for EMDR Therapy in Alpharetta

If past experiences are still affecting your present, whether through anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, or patterns you can’t seem to break, EMDR therapy can help you process what happened and move forward. You don’t have to keep living in survival mode.

Our goal is to help you heal, not just cope.