Amy Duckwall, PsyD
EMDR
EMDR therapy in-person in San Clemente and
online throughout California and Texas
Leave your painful past behind so you can move forward.
Are you someone who:
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Tried traditional talk therapy and got some relief, but still somehow feel the same stress and struggle?
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Feels overwhelmed at the idea of describing a traumatic experience in detail to someone?
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Needs relief from the unwanted thoughts, intense emotions, and negative self-talk that sends you spiraling?
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Just wants to make PROGRESS in therapy to leave a painful experience behind?
You might know exactly why you’re struggling.
It might be one giant or significant experience you’ve had recently, or it might be a series of bad relationships (we’ve all had those), or it might even be a memory from forever ago that suddenly took center stage in your mind.
Maybe you’re not even sure at all where this all comes from, but you know you feel horrible when it hits. Nightmares and scary daytime thoughts just won’t quit, and you’re tired of everyone telling you to “get over it” on your own.
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Maybe you’re worried you might be crazy because you just can’t get past this…THING that’s on your mind all.the.time. ​
Whatever the cause, you’re:
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Tired of having to carry this stuff everywhere with you, and you’re ready to offload the negative thoughts, the cascade of emotions, the STRESS of dealing with this stuff.
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Ready to feel better.
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Looking for lasting results that help you heal, sleep, and find peace.
Less talking. More healing.
EMDR is a way to help your brain get “unstuck” from a traumatic or difficult life experience that happened in the past, but which your brain thinks is happening in the present.
It’s like a vinyl record with a scratch in it that the needle gets caught in, playing the same part of the song over and over and not moving on.
The thing about our brains is they don’t know how to keep “time” in the same way we are aware of what happened before, what’s going on now, and what’s going to occur in the future. And when a brain gets stuck on something that was scary or threatening, it can send signals to our bodies that we need to react that trigger, when in reality there may not be anything truly dangerous at hand.
(That’s part of the crazy-feeling part, when you know nothing’s wrong right then but your brain tells your body to freak out, panic, hide, fight, all the responses.)
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Our brain’s main job is to keep our body alive, at all costs, and that means the brain’s primary function is sensing things that signal “danger” to us.
The problem is, we don’t always get to stop and decide what we think is dangerous. The danger could be real-a bear running towards you on a hike. (Definitely dangerous!)
But it could also be a math test.
Or that mean lady at the grocery store.
Or the smell you smell on a random work day that immediately sends you back to a traumatic experience you had when you were small.
EMDR helps you understand where you feel stuck or struggle in your present, whether it’s a behavior or an emotion or a negative belief you hold about yourself, and then connects that issue back to a past experience that might be where things first somehow signaled “danger” to your brain.
Then EMDR teaches you and your brain (because you’re a package deal) how to essentially turn down the temperature of an intense experience or event that gets in the way of how your brain normally processes neutral information and memories.
Processing traumatic or distressing memories more adaptively (which just means more effectively) helps the connection between your brain and your physical self be more in sync, which feels better to you.
You can’t rewrite your past, but you can teach your brain how to reorganize, consolidate, and settle traumatic or difficult memories down so they don’t cause negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that interfere with your present amazing self or your hope for the future.
How EMDR works:
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EMDR is a structured, 8-phase treatment model that comes backed by decades of research and proven success helping people with PTSD, other types of trauma, and many other mental health difficulties (anxiety, panic, social phobia, and depression, to name just a few).
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The first goals are targeted at establishing safety and trust in the therapy relationship, which includes going over your history and background, looking at where you need coping skills and resources, and identifying specific goals for therapy.
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Then the real work begins. Memories are targeted and the thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations of trauma or disturbance are brought to the surface and processed.
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The last part of EMDR therapy is the best part--you get to incorporate the positive beliefs and emotions you want to KEEP connected with your memories and experiences. This is the good stuff, y'all.
Each person’s experience of EMDR is a little bit different, but the work will go at a pace that is within each individual comfort zone. There’s no rushing this process, but the relief can be felt much earlier than you might expect.
What my clients say about their EMDR results:
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They feel lighter, as if they've set down an invisible burden.
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They're sleeping better, because the nightmares stopped.
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The things that used to trigger a cascade of emotions don't cause the same reaction.
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Memories of an event or time in their life are clearer, and sometimes even happier than they were for so long.
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They're less reactive to their spouse, partner, or kids--so the relationships grow closer.
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They gain confidence in the brain's ability to heal itself.
EMDR Therapy With Me
My clients come to me having tried talk therapy, such as CBT or exposure work, but they’re left feeling frustrated because while they understand more about WHY they feel so distressed, they haven’t found relief from their symptoms in the way they wanted. My first goal for any client is to establish a solid relationship focused on them, because nothing else works well without trust and confidence in the process.
As a neuropsychology-trained therapist, I offer a geek-informed but compassionate approach to treating trauma and struggle at the source, to help you make long-lasting changes in how you think and feel about yourself.
We’ll talk about the science behind EMDR as we look at where you’re wanting to make change happen, and I’ll teach you a bit about the brain structures that engage when you’re in fight-or-flight mode, and when you’re learning how to imagine your safe, comfortable place to retreat to when things feel too intense.
We’ll stay planted firmly in our therapy relationship (built with trust and empathy, along with research-backed information and coping skills you’ll learn to use for yourself) but together we’ll take a mental road trip along the history of your life, paying attention to memories that you connect to your current difficulties and stuck points.
You’re always in the driver’s seat, with me alongside holding the map and helping you navigate to our ultimate destination–the emotionally supported, connected self you want to become.
Find relief, gain hope, feel peace.
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Book your free 15-minute consultation today.
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We'll collaborate to identify the root cause of your overwhelm, building effective coping skills and strategies to reduce your distress.
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You'll feel empowered and grow in confidence, moving toward a sense of self that is happy and whole.