Attachment Focused - EMDR
why do you still feel this way?
Something happened that you can’t seem to leave in the past. A loss, betrayal, frightening experience, painful relationship, or moment that changed how you see yourself. Or maybe there isn’t one event. You just notice the aftermath: anxiety, perfectionism, overthinking, people-pleasing, feeling on guard, or reacting to something happening now with an intensity that seems to belong somewhere else.
You’re still struggling with:
A painful or traumatic experience that still feels present
Anxiety or a sense of always being on alert
Memories or experiences you can’t seem to move past
Perfectionism, overthinking, or fear of making mistakes
Imposter syndrome or a persistent feeling that you’re not enough
People-pleasing, over-responsibility, or difficulty setting boundaries
Rejection, criticism, betrayal, or loss that still carries an emotional charge
Performance anxiety or fear that takes over when the stakes are high
Relationship patterns you understand but keep repeating
Reactions that feel bigger than what’s actually happening
Attachment Focused -EMDR (AF-EMDR) can help.
AF-EMDR helps us work with experiences that your mind and body may still be responding to as if they are happening now. Rather than only talking about what happened, we work with the memories, emotions, beliefs, and physical responses that continue to carry a charge.
The goal isn’t to erase the past. It’s to help the past feel more like the past, so you have more freedom in how you feel and respond now.
-
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps the brain process experiences that continue to feel emotionally or physically present, even when you know they’re in the past.
Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR) builds on traditional EMDR with greater attention to relationship, attachment, and the emotional resources you may have needed but didn’t receive at the time.
Using bilateral stimulation, often through guided eye movements or alternating taps, we work with memories, emotions, beliefs, and physical sensations connected to an experience.
AF-EMDR is especially useful when what you’re struggling with isn’t simply what happened, but what you came to believe because of it:
I’m not safe.
I’m not enough.
I have to get it right.
I can’t trust anyone.
I have to take care of everything myself.Those beliefs may once have made sense. They don’t have to keep determining what happens next.
The goal isn’t to erase the past. It’s to help you experience it differently in the present.
-
Trauma isn’t defined only by what happened. It’s also about what happened inside you as a result.
Sometimes there is a clear event: an accident, assault, loss, betrayal, frightening experience, medical event, or other experience that continues to feel emotionally present.
Sometimes it’s more complicated. There may not be one event you can point to. Instead, there were repeated experiences of criticism, rejection, instability, neglect, not feeling safe, or not getting what you needed from the people you depended on.
And sometimes the lasting effects look surprisingly functional: perfectionism, hyper-independence, people-pleasing, over-responsibility, staying constantly alert, avoiding conflict, or needing to get everything right.
AF-EMDR helps us work with both the experience and what your nervous system learned from it.
We can’t change what happened.
We can help your mind and body recognize that it isn’t happening now.
-
Tou’ve prepared. You know your material. You have the experience and the ability.
And then the stakes get high and your nervous system has other ideas.
Performance anxiety can show up in presentations, public speaking, interviews, auditions, difficult conversations, leadership situations, or any moment when you feel watched, evaluated, or under pressure.
Sometimes there’s a specific experience behind it: freezing during a presentation, being criticized publicly, forgetting what you wanted to say, or experiencing a failure or embarrassment that your brain has become determined not to repeat.
Sometimes there isn’t.
AF-EMDR can help us work with the memories, fears, beliefs, and physical responses that interfere with your ability to access what you already know how to do.
The goal isn’t to eliminate adrenaline or make you stop caring.
It’s to help you remain connected to yourself when the room is watching.
Presence begins on the inside.
-
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy can help you break through persistent emotional barriers and find relief from chronic depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It facilitates deeper self-exploration and offers new perspectives on your mental health, promoting emotional resilience and long-term positive changes. By combining the therapeutic effects of ketamine with psychotherapy, this approach can enhance your ability to process and heal from past traumas, improve your overall mood, and foster a greater sense of well-being.
KETAMINE ASSISTED THERAPY
Unlock profound healing and lasting transformation
who it’s for
AF-EMDR may be right for you if…
You’re carrying the effects of a traumatic or painful experience that still feels present.
You notice patterns such as anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, hypervigilance, or fear that you understand but can’t seem to change.
Your reactions sometimes feel bigger than what’s actually happening.
You know what you want to think or feel, but your mind and body don’t always seem to agree.
You want to work with both insight and experience, rather than only talking about what happened.
together, we will:
explore
The things that shape your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We'll delve into the underlying patterns and experiences that influence your mental health.
uncover
The things that are holding you back, such as unresolved traumas or hidden emotions. We'll bring these to the surface to understand and heal them.
Regain
The things that bring you balance, joy, and a sense of purpose. We'll work towards restoring your emotional well-being and enhancing your overall quality of life.
Please know this:
What happened is part of your story. It doesn’t have to keep writing what happens next.
-
EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)
Information about EMDR therapy, how it works, and the research supporting its use.Parnell Institute
Information about Attachment-Focused EMDR and the work of Dr. Laurel Parnell.
https://parnellemdr.com/our-approach/ -
I am an out-of-network provider and do not accept insurance directly. Depending on your plan, you may be eligible for partial reimbursement for psychotherapy. I can provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance company.
We can discuss fees and any questions about reimbursement during our initial consultation.
-
You don’t need to know whether AF-EMDR is right for you before reaching out.
Schedule a free consultation and tell me a little about what’s bringing you to therapy and what you’d like to change. We can talk about whether Attachment-Focused EMDR makes sense for you and what working together might look like.