EMDR
EMDR for Trauma
In-person in Miami Beach and virtually across Florida.
Free • No commitment • 15 minutes
"I thought time would take care of it. My body still responds like it just happened."
How EMDR Works
Brain and Body Come to a Resolution
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is an evidence-based modality that helps the brain and nervous system process material that got stuck.
When something overwhelming happens, the experience can be stored in a state-specific way. The sensory, emotional, and somatic pieces that were active at the time stay connected to the memory, which is why something from years ago can still come up with the same charge in the present.
EMDR activates the brain's own processing system through bilateral stimulation, typically through eye movements, tapping, or sound. While that system is engaged, the stored material gets the chance to link up with adaptive information already in the brain and to integrate. The memory does not disappear. What shifts is how the material is held and how it shows up in the body.
This framework comes from the Adaptive Information Processing model developed by Francine Shapiro. EMDR is recognized as a frontline treatment for PTSD by the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association.
The Eight-Phase Protocol
What EMDR looks like in practice
EMDR is a structured eight-phase protocol. It is used as part of a broader treatment approach rather than a single technique applied in isolation. The phases are:
- History and treatment planning. Understanding what brought you in, identifying the targets we might work with, and getting a sense of what your system has been holding.
- Preparation. Building the internal resources and stabilization your system needs before any reprocessing begins. Grounding tools, resourcing, nervous system regulation skills, and making sure the therapy relationship can hold the work that follows.
- Assessment. Identifying the specific target, the associated beliefs, emotions, body sensations, and where they sit on a scale.
- Desensitization. The reprocessing phase. You hold the target in mind while bilateral stimulation activates the brain's processing system, and the material begins to shift.
- Installation. Strengthening the adaptive belief that emerges through reprocessing.
- Body scan. Noticing what is still being held in the body and working with any residual activation.
- Closure. Ending each session in a regulated state, with whatever grounding tools are needed.
- Reevaluation. Checking in on what has shifted before continuing to the next target.
With complex or developmental trauma, the phased approach becomes especially important. More time is spent in preparation and resourcing, and the reprocessing phase is paced carefully so the work stays within what your system can integrate.
Where EMDR Fits
Where EMDR Fits in Our Work
EMDR is one of the modalities integrated into trauma work at Soulstice Miami in Miami Beach. It can be appropriate when there are specific memories, automatic beliefs, or patterns keeping you stuck. When EMDR is the right fit, it is usually integrated alongside other modalities, unless someone comes in specifically to process a single traumatic memory. It is integrated with somatic-informed practices, attachment-based work, and the therapy relationship itself, which together address how trauma shows up in the body, in relationship, and in how you experience yourself.
EMDR is not a fit for every person or every presentation, and it is not always the first place the work begins. Whether and when EMDR is used depends on what you bring in and what your system is ready for.
Free • No commitment • 15 minutes
What EMDR Can Be Useful For
Some of the areas EMDR can address
Single-incident trauma such as accidents, assaults, medical events, or sudden losses
Childhood trauma, including abuse and chronic relational harm
Medical or birth-related trauma
Trauma from witnessing harm or being in a dangerous environment
Relational trauma, including betrayal, abandonment, or chronic invalidation
Patterns and automatic beliefs that are still active in the present, even when you have known cognitively they are not true
Phobias, performance-related blocks, and specific triggers
This is not a complete list. What EMDR can address depends on the person, the presentation, and what your system is ready to work with.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
01.
What is EMDR?
What is EMDR?
EMDR is an evidence-based modality that helps the brain and nervous system process material that got stuck. It uses bilateral stimulation, typically eye movements, tapping, or sound, to activate the brain's own processing system while working with a specific target.
02.
Do I have to talk about what happened in detail?
Do I have to talk about what happened in detail?
No. One of the features of EMDR is that it does not require detailed narration of what happened. A lot of the work happens internally, through the reprocessing itself.
03.
How long does EMDR take?
How long does EMDR take?
It varies. For single-incident trauma with no other complicating factors, reprocessing can move more quickly. For complex or developmental trauma, the work is phased and paced carefully, which takes longer. There is no fixed timeline.
04.
Is EMDR safe for complex trauma?
Is EMDR safe for complex trauma?
Yes, when it is used in a phased way with stabilization and resourcing coming first. The standard EMDR protocol is often adapted for complex trauma to support pacing and ensure the work stays within what your system can integrate.
05.
What happens during the bilateral stimulation?
What happens during the bilateral stimulation?
You hold a specific target in mind while following eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones. The stimulation activates the brain's processing system, and material associated with the target begins to shift, integrate, and settle.
06.
Do you offer EMDR in person or virtually?
Do you offer EMDR in person or virtually?
Both. EMDR is offered in-person in Miami Beach and virtually across Florida.
The material your system has been holding does not have to stay held.
Whatever brought you to this page, whether you know EMDR is what you are looking for or you are still figuring out what might be right for you, this is work that can move. The pace will fit your nervous system, with care for what you have been carrying.
Free • No commitment • 15 minutes