Debbie L. DeVries, MA, LMHC

Doing EMDR therapy helps you heal from the impact of painful memories and traumatic events quickly. Trauma can develop weeks, months, or even years after a single terrible event. Complex trauma often builds over time through repeated experiences. Oftentimes, talking about these painful memories is something people prefer to avoid and EMDR therapy thankfully offers an alternative, gentler path to healing. 

No matter what your history, healing happens in the presence of an emotionally attuned therapist and a therapeutic relationship where you are emotionally understood and feel a warm, comforting connection.

Why Do EMDR Therapy?

EMDR supports healing from trauma that developed after one overwhelming event or through a series of difficult experiences over time. It’s also been my observation as a therapist that it's not at all uncommon for people to come into therapy seeking support to deal with stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, career uncertainty, relationship challenges, or a rough patch only to discover that many pieces of their lived experience have quietly taken root as small or even significant traumas. 

I'll guide you in a variety of ways to gently support your nervous system's regulation. By integrating EMDR with other holistic approaches including mindfulness, somatic awareness, and energy-based practices this creates an approach tailored to you. Healing is typically felt early in the process of doing EMDR and the nature of this technique means that you will no longer experience emotional intensity and difficulties associated with the event(s). EMDR is incredibly healing and the relief you experience is lifelong. 

How EMDR Can Support Your Healing 

While Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed as a structured therapy by Francine Shapiro to treat PTSD, its core elements such as rhythmic movement and the body’s innate capacity to process and heal have long existed in practices across cultures. These traditions reflect a deep understanding of how the mind and body move through pain and reconnect with wholeness.

As EMDR taps into the brain's natural healing process, it has been proven useful for healing of many other conditions and below are an example of my areas of expertise:

• Anxiety, panic, and phobias
• Chronic stress and burnout
• Depression and emotional numbness
• Childhood trauma and complex PTSD
• Intrusive memories and flashbacks
• Feeling stuck in old patterns or memories
• Grief and traumatic loss
• Self-worth and limiting beliefs
• Health and performance anxiety
• Religious or spiritual trauma
• Guilt tied to belief systems
• Abuse recovery (emotional, physical, sexual)
• Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe in relationships
• Attachment wounds and boundary issues
• Repeating relational dynamics you want to change
• Career decisions and life transitions
• Identity shifts and life changes
• When talk therapy hasn’t been enough