Online IFS-informed EMDR Therapy in California & Bay Area
Healing Trauma at the Nervous System Level
For overwhelmed adults ready to lay down what was never theirs to carry
Trauma-informed and culturally-affirming EMDR therapy for adults in Walnut Creek, Oakland, and throughout California ~ Available fully online.
EMDR Therapy for Trauma Recovery: When Healing Feels Scary or Too Much
You're not broken. You're bracing.
You might be reading this while your body is bracing; shoulders tense, breath shallow, a familiar pressure behind your eyes. Even now, even here, you may be scanning for what's expected of you.
For many of the clients I work with, the idea of healing doesn't feel like a warm invitation. It feels like a risk. To rest. To slow down. To finally turn inward.
Especially if your life has been shaped by trauma, caregiving, perfectionism, or being the one everyone else leans on, letting go can feel like collapse. Stillness can feel like falling.
EMDR therapy offers another way in. Not by pushing through. Not by talking it all out. But by helping your nervous system finally release what it had to hold for far too long.
What Is EMDR Therapy? (And What It's Not)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an extensively studied, neuroscience-informed, and somatically attuned therapy that supports the healing of emotional, physical, and psychological symptoms stemming from difficult or overwhelming life experiences. It is a powerful, evidence-based approach designed to support healing at the level of the nervous system, not by changing your thoughts, but by helping your body finally let go of what it never got to process.
Here's what that really means: When something overwhelming happens and we don't get the chance to process it, the memory gets stored in a fragmented, unprocessed way, along with the emotions, body sensations, and beliefs that were present at the time.
These moments can live on like looping echoes in the nervous system. EMDR gently interrupts the loop.
Through guided sets of bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping), EMDR helps your brain and body reprocess what was stuck, so you no longer feel hijacked by memories, images, or emotional responses that don't match your present reality.
You do not have to relive your trauma or narrate every detail. You remain in control. You stay resourced. You go at your own pace.
Through this process, EMDR helps your nervous system do three essential things:
Soften the emotional charge of painful memories, so they no longer feel overwhelming or unsafe to revisit.
Reprocess what happened in a way your brain can finally make sense of, transforming raw, unresolved experiences into something more integrated.
Shift those memories from feeling like constant intrusions to becoming just that: memories. No longer loud or present-tense. Just part of your story, not the whole of it.
Curious to learn more about how EMDR works? This ten-minute video from the EMDR International Association offers a clear and helpful overview.
How EMDR Works: The 8-Phase Process
*All client names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.
Maya* came to therapy after years of high-functioning burnout. An executive by day and caregiver by necessity, she carried panic in her chest and a mind that wouldn't rest. When we began EMDR, she was hesitant, worried she'd lose control, that opening the past might unravel her. But we went slowly. During one reprocessing session, she paused and shared, "It feels like my body finally believes me, that I'm not back there anymore." That was the first night she slept through till morning in years.
EMDR follows a structured, research-supported eight-phase protocol. Each phase is collaborative and paced with care.
History & Preparation: In this phase, we explore what's been most impactful, not just what happened, but how it still echoes in your day-to-day life. You don't need to go into graphic detail or retell every painful moment. We're more focused on how the past is showing up in the present. Together, we'll identify past wounds, current stressors, and emotional patterns that feel stuck, building a clear and compassionate roadmap for your healing.
Preparation: Here, we'll focus on building your internal sense of safety before we begin any reprocessing. I'll explain how EMDR works, what to expect during and after sessions, and we'll practice ways to stay grounded. One of these is called the Safe Place, a guided visualization that helps create a sense of calm and refuge within. We may also explore imagining a sense of warmth or support from someone trustworthy (real or imagined). These tools become part of your inner toolkit, available anytime emotions feel overwhelming, during or between sessions.
Assessment: We begin identifying key memories/experiences and the negative beliefs that still linger—like "I'm not safe," "I'm unlovable," or "It's always my fault." These beliefs often carry more pain than the events themselves. They're not just thoughts; they live in the nervous system. Our goal is to bring those beliefs into awareness with care and prepare them for reprocessing when you feel ready.
4. Desensitization: During reprocessing, I'll guide you through sets of bilateral stimulation, typically eye movements or tapping, with pauses in between to check in. Your system will lead the way. There's no need to force anything or stay in one memory too long. The goal isn't perfection; it's movement, spaciousness, relief.
5. Installation: As the intensity around the memory/experience softens, we begin strengthening a new, more empowering belief; something that feels more true now. This might be "I'm safe now," "I'm allowed to rest," or "I did the best I could." This isn't about forced positivity. It's about helping your body and mind absorb a truth that was once out of reach and now feels possible.
6. Body Scan: The body often holds onto trauma long after the mind understands it. Once a positive belief has been installed, we check in to see if your body still feels tense, frozen, or activated. If so, we use the same reprocessing to help release those sensations, allowing healing to land both cognitively and somatically.
7. Closure: If a memory/experience isn't fully resolved by the end of a session, we'll use resourcing tools to bring you back to center. You'll leave feeling grounded and supported, not raw or exposed. We'll also talk about what to expect between sessions since healing often continues unfolding after we pause.
8. Re-evaluation: At the start of each new session, we revisit what's been processed and what's still lingering. Clearing earlier wounds often lightens the emotional load of more recent experiences. Healing doesn't always move in straight lines, and we track the shift from stuckness to spaciousness over time.
Every step is designed to honor your pace and your protective system. EMDR isn't about tearing open wounds; it's about letting your body finally know that the danger has passed.
You don't have to remember anything, rehearse, or do any homework. Just bring your present-moment self.
EMDR doesn't ask you to force your thoughts or rewrite your beliefs. Instead, it trusts your brain's natural healing process, gently guiding the system to release what's been held without forcing your way through it.
EMDR + Internal Family Systems (IFS): A Unique Integration
IFS Meets EMDR: Supporting Parts That Want to Be Seen
*All client names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.
In one session, Lila* began processing a moment of early neglect. As the memory surfaced, so did a part of her: a small, watchful girl who had learned to stay invisible. Rather than push through, we paused. With IFS, we let the part speak. She didn't want to re-experience the pain; she wanted to be seen. After that session, Lila said, "Something shifted. I felt like that little girl finally had someone on her side."
Why Integrate IFS and EMDR?
In my practice, EMDR is often integrated with Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, a potent combination backed by research. In fact, EMDRIA recognizes the value of combining these modalities for complex trauma, with evidence suggesting that this integrative approach can enhance safety and deepen outcomes.
Where EMDR helps process what was too overwhelming to digest, IFS helps us understand the parts of us who have been impacted and the parts of us who have been working so hard to protect us ever since.
When EMDR Stalls, It's Often Protection at Work
Sometimes, EMDR stalls not because the method failed but because protector parts are doing exactly what they were built to do: keep you safe. IFS gives us a compassionate toolkit to work with those parts rather than push blindly through. These moments become invitations, not roadblocks.
You might notice younger parts of you showing up, frightened, angry, shut down. Even the most intense protectors are trying to do something necessary. Naming their intention can help them soften, making space for the healing to unfold.
We may begin with a "discovery agreement,"a collaborative process to understand what protector parts want and need before asking them to soften back. No part is forced or bypassed; every part is honored. And all parts are welcome.
IFS-Informed EMDR Heals the Whole Internal System
This integration allows for integrative healing, not just of isolated memories but of the entire inner system that formed in response to them. It's not about overriding defenses. It's about creating inner cooperation so the work can unfold safely with your system's permission.
And for those carrying ancestral pain or intergenerational burdens, IFS offers a way to name and release legacy burdens that were never truly yours to carry. So, whether the pain is personal, cultural, or ancestral, IFS-informed EMDR helps the system release what no longer needs to be held, with compassion as the guide.
Why EMDR? A Path Forward for the Patterns That Won’t Let Go
Many of the symptoms that bring people to EMDR, such as panic, dissociation, emotional numbing, hypervigilance, didn't come out of nowhere. They began as adaptive responses. Your nervous system wasn't malfunctioning; it was protecting you.
For many, early relational trauma—like emotional neglect, chronic misattunement, or living in an unpredictable home—taught the body to stay alert, to shut down, or to disappear entirely. These responses helped you survive.
EMDR helps the body learn that it's safe to respond differently now. And while it was originally developed for trauma healing, its benefits reach far beyond.
It's a powerful modality for addressing what talk therapy can't always reach—especially when emotional pain shows up as patterns: over-functioning, chronic burnout, fear of rest, perfectionism, or the inability to trust.
EMDR can even enhance performance—clearing internal blocks that get in the way of showing up fully. Whether it's public speaking, artistic expression, or leadership under pressure, EMDR can support confidence, presence, and ease.
Whatever the origin, whether a single event or years of quiet overwhelm, EMDR helps bring the nervous system back into balance at a pace that honors what you've lived through.
EMDR can help with:
Trauma & Memory
Complex PTSD
Developmental trauma/childhood trauma
Flashback or intrusive memories
Relational Wounds
Childhood neglect, abuse, or enmeshment
Relationship struggles rooted in early wounds
People-pleasing & perfectionism
Nervous System Regulation
Chronic anxiety and panic
Emotional numbness or shutdown
Panic attacks
Burnout & Overwhelm
Burnout from caregiving or work
Relentless self-pressure
Fear of rest or stillness
Protective Beliefs & Inner Critic
Shame-based beliefs, e.g., “It’s always my fault”
Self-doubt and imposter syndrome
Emotional over-responsibility
Loss, Sleep, & Performance
Grief and ambiguous loss
Insomnia or recurring nightmares
Performance-related fear
What EMDR Looks Like in Online Sessions
Yes, EMDR can be done virtually, and it can be just as effective as in-person work.
In online EMDR sessions, we use tools like:
Visual bilateral tracking on-screen
Self-administered tapping (with my guidance)
What matters most isn't the tool; it's the relationship, the pacing, the co-regulation. I'll be with you throughout, tracking your system and adjusting as needed. You'll never be asked to go anywhere alone.
Moreover, research shows that online EMDR is as effective as in-person therapy: clients treated online during the pandemic experienced significant reductions in symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression, regardless of age or background.
A Look Behind the Scenes: How EMDR Works in the Brain
(Optional – For the Curious and the Science-Inclined)
Some clients find comfort in understanding how this works under the hood. While EMDR is a felt experience first, there's a growing body of neuroscience that helps explain why it works so well.
Here's a simplified look at what's happening in your brain:
Amygdala ~ the alarm system: When something feels dangerous or overwhelming, the amygdala sends out a distress signal. EMDR's bilateral stimulation has been shown to calm this response, helping the body register that the threat is no longer present.
Hippocampus ~ the meaning maker: This part helps form memories and distinguish between safety and danger. Trauma can shrink its function. EMDR may help restore the hippocampus, allowing the brain to refile traumatic memories as "past," not "present."
Prefrontal Cortex ~ the thoughtful observer: Responsible for emotional regulation and decision-making. When we're flooded by trauma, it can go offline. EMDR may help reintegrate this function, making it easier to respond instead of react.
Some researchers believe EMDR mimics the brain activity of REM sleep, a time when we process and integrate emotional experiences. Through repeated bilateral movements, the brain seems to reprocess stuck memories until they lose their charge.
What's striking is how something as simple as focused attention paired with rhythmic stimulation can create such a powerful shift. It's not flashy, but it mirrors how the body often knows how to heal; quietly, rhythmically, and in its own time.
Importantly, this same neural healing process happens online. As cited above, in a recent study during COVID-19, clients who received EMDR virtually showed clinically significant, sustained symptom relief, confirming that EMDR's healing effect holds firm, even through a screen. More information on the research behind online EMDR therapy can be found here.
FAQs about EMDR Therapy
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No. You don't have to share anything you're not ready to. The process still works even when you're focusing silently.
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It varies. Some clients feel relief in a handful of sessions; others need more time. We'll move at the speed that your system allows.
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Yes. EMDR can still access and reprocess emotional and somatic traces of experiences, even when explicit memory is foggy.
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We'll approach your healing with care. Preparation includes building grounding tools and understanding your parts' responses.
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If you're feeling stuck, flooded, or chronically depleted, and talk therapy hasn't fully helped, EMDR may be the missing piece.
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Yes. Virtual EMDR is effective and well-supported. The most important factors - attunement, pacing, and nervous system tracking - translate beautifully across the screen.
More information on the research behind online EMDR therapy can be found through EMDRIA.
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Bilateral stimulation is a core part of EMDR therapy. It refers to rhythmic left-right stimulation of the body or senses, often through eye movements, audio tones, or tapping. This helps the brain reprocess stored traumatic material in a way that promotes integration and relief.
When You’ve Carried Too Much for Too Long, EMDR Can Help
*All client names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.
Elena* had always been the one who handled everything: the fixer, the planner, and the one who stayed calm. But during EMDR, something changed. After one session, she sat in silence, then exhaled and said, "I think my shoulders just dropped for the first time in years." It wasn't dramatic. But it was real. And it stayed.
If you've been the strong one, the capable one, the one who keeps going, this work isn't about undoing that.
It's about offering the parts of you who carried it all a moment to rest.
Healing doesn't mean forgetting.
It means helping your system integrate what happened so it no longer runs your life in the background.
You are not broken. You adapted brilliantly. And you are allowed to feel better.
When you're ready, I'm here.
Welcome! I’m Anny.
I'm a licensed psychotherapist certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and Brainspotting therapy. Not to mention a fantasy novel nerd, human and dog mother, and feta cheese aficionado.
I know in my bones what it is like to come from a challenging and painful background. As a relational trauma therapist, I have the honor of helping people heal their childhood wounds so that they create lives full of possibility and choice.
In our work together, I bring my full Self, meaning I'm right there with you every step of the way. I'm not a "blank slate" and will offer reflections and personal examples that may shed some light on your experiences, moments of "stuckness," and isolation.
I can hold intensity. There's no such thing as "being too much or too needy." I will laugh with you. I will curse with you. And welcome all parts of you wholeheartedly.