Why EMDR Works When Talking Isn't Enough
If you grew up in a shame based home, a high control faith system, or any environment where you were taught to stay quiet and be “good,” talk therapy may have only taken you so far.
EMDR helps when your body is still carrying what your mind has tried to move past.Whether your pain came from church harm, spiritual abuse, childhood trauma, or sexual abuse, EMDR helps your brain release what has been stuck in survival mode.
You do not have to relive the trauma for EMDR to work. You may feel emotion as it moves through, but you will not be overwhelmed or pulled back into the moment. Your nervous system stays present, grounded, and in control.
You have done the talking.
Now it is time to do the healing.
You’ve tried to make sense of it. You’ve analyzed it, journaled, prayed about it, avoided it, powered through it, minimized it, and blamed yourself for not “getting over it.”
But your body remembers what your mind tried to forget.
Sometimes you don’t need more words. You need something deeper.
EMDR therapy helps take the emotional charge out of painful memories so you’re not pulled under every time something reminds you of the past. Instead of bracing or shutting down, you learn to feel more calm, settled, and connected.
Here, you don’t have to explain everything.
You don’t have to retell the story.
You don’t have to push through or go numb.
Just show up. Your brain will do the rest.
You’re not too much.
You’re just carrying too much.
So many of my clients grew up in high-control, shame-based homes where emotions weren’t safe. They learned to stay small, strong, grateful, silent, good.
When those patterns follow you into adulthood, life feels like:
bracing
performing
freezing
overfunctioning
collapsing
dissociating
feeling “numb but overwhelmed”
EMDR helps us heal the memories you avoid, and the beliefs you didn’t choose but learned to live by.
You don’t have to have the right words.
You just have to be willing to stop doing it alone.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
…and why it helps when talk therapy hasn’t.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation like eye movements, tapping, or audio cues to help your brain integrate distressing memories. It is structured, evidence based, and especially helpful when talk therapy has not been enough.
EMDR supports healing from:
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Religious trauma and spiritual abuse
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Cult recovery and high control systems
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Childhood emotional neglect or abuse
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Sexual abuse, sexual assault, and betrayal trauma
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PTSD and complex trauma
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Anxiety, panic, and emotional burnout
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Shame, guilt, and negative beliefs like “I am not enough” or “I am too much”
Unlike traditional therapy, EMDR does not require you to retell the story or relive what happened.
You stay present while the memory loses its emotional intensity.
Healing doesn’t start at the hardest part.
It starts when your body finally feels safe.
Trauma isn’t stored in your logic
it’s stored in your nervous system.
Most of my clients grew up in homes where emotions weren’t safe.
They learned to stay small, quiet, grateful, “good.”
And now, as adults, life feels like:
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bracing
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overthinking
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overfunctioning
-
collapsing
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dissociating
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feeling “numb but overwhelmed”
EMDR helps you reach the places where those patterns were formed, the memories you avoid and the beliefs you never consciously chose.
You don’t need to perform.
You don’t need the right words.
You just need to stop doing it alone.
Heal Without Retelling the Story
Many clients choose EMDR with me because you do not need to describe the traumatic event. You can share as much or as little as you want.
This approach is especially helpful if:
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You grew up in spiritual or religious environments where honesty was unsafe
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You were taught to minimize pain or “forgive and forget”
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You have memory gaps from childhood
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You feel overwhelmed or ashamed when trying to talk about it
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The trauma involves sexual content and you want privacy
Healing does not require rehashing the story.
It just requires safety, pacing, and a nervous system that’s ready to move.
If nothing else has helped, EMDR may be the piece you haven’t tried yet.
EMDR Intensives in Las Vegas
If you’re local or visiting Las Vegas and want a focused, accelerated approach, EMDR intensives help you make meaningful progress without months of weekly therapy.
They’re designed for people who are ready for deep work — safely, gently, and at your nervous system’s pace.
You can learn more about EMDR intensives here.
How EMDR Helps
EMDR can support you in:
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Reducing symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression
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Processing religious trauma, church harm, and purity culture conditioning
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Healing childhood wounds and attachment pain
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Strengthening emotional regulation and resilience
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Rebuilding trust in yourself
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Letting go of fear, guilt, and survival mode patterns
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Releasing body based reactions that feel automatic
Many clients say EMDR is the first thing that ever made the past feel truly “over.”
Client Reflections
Real things clients have said after EMDR sessions:
“It feels less intense. The picture looks the same but the energy is gone.”
“The fear is not running my life anymore.”
“My chest finally loosened.”
“I can breathe again.”
“I understand what happened without feeling overwhelmed.”
“I feel like myself.”
“I can see the future and I am hopeful.”
Why Clients Work With Me
A different kind of EMDR therapist
Because I meet you where you are, not where anyone thinks you should be.
Most clients come to me after years of being told:
“Just talk about it.”
“You need to forgive.”
“Stop being dramatic.”
“You’re too sensitive.”
“You should be over this by now.”
I work differently.
I’m a trauma therapist trained in EMDR, CBT, and psychedelic integration, specializing in survivors of shame-based religion, childhood trauma, and sexual trauma.
I work with adults who are tired of being strong.
Tired of bracing.
Tired of performing.
Tired of carrying pain that was never theirs to begin with.
Here, we work slowly, gently, and at the pace your nervous system says yes to.
I specialize in trauma that comes from places you were supposed to feel safe:
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Religious trauma
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High-control faith systems
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Spiritual abuse
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Childhood sexual abuse
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Sexual assault
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Shame-based homes
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Chronic people-pleasing and fawning
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Nervous system collapse and chronic freeze
Trauma Therapy FAQ
Honest Answers for Messy Humans
1. Can EMDR be done virtually?
Yes. Virtual EMDR is just as effective as in-person sessions.
I offer online EMDR therapy for people healing from religious trauma, sexual abuse, complex PTSD, and anxiety. You can start wherever you are.
We use bilateral eye movements, tapping, or tactile tools you keep at home.
Many clients actually feel safer and more grounded doing EMDR in their own space, without the overwhelm of an office setting.
2. Do I have to talk about the trauma for EMDR to work?
No. You can process trauma without retelling the story.
My blind to the therapist approach is especially helpful for spiritual abuse, childhood trauma, and sexual trauma when speaking it out loud feels impossible or unsafe.
3. Will EMDR make me relive the trauma?
No. You stay present and grounded.
You may feel emotion move through, but you will not be pulled back into the moment. EMDR helps you process trauma safely, without reliving it in your body.
4. How many EMDR sessions will I need?
Some people feel relief in a few sessions. Others benefit from longer term work, especially when healing complex PTSD, chronic freeze patterns, or trauma from high control religious systems.
5. Can EMDR help with religious trauma or church harm?
Yes. EMDR is highly effective for religious trauma, purity culture messages, spiritual abuse, cult recovery, and faith deconstruction.
We work at your pace, with no pressure to land in any belief system.
6. Can EMDR help with sexual abuse or assault?
Yes. EMDR is one of the most effective therapies for childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and trauma stored in the body.
You do not need to retell what happened in detail for EMDR to work.
7. Is EMDR right for me?
EMDR can help if you are stuck in survival patterns like fawning, freezing, people pleasing, or chronic shame.
It supports those raised in strict or shame based homes, high control religions, or environments where your voice and choices were not safe.
How to Get Started
Book a free 20 minute consult.
You do not have to hold this alone anymore. Let’s talk and see what feels right for you.
I offer EMDR therapy in Las Vegas for in person sessions and online throughout Nevada, New Jersey, and Colorado.
Wherever you are, you deserve relief that lasts.