EMDR Therapy in NYC & Across NY, NJ, MA & FL
EMDR Therapy for Trauma, PTSD, Anxiety & Distressing Experiences
You may understand where your reactions come from and still feel like the past keeps showing up in the present. EMDR therapy can help you process distressing experiences that continue to shape your emotions, relationships, and sense of safety. At Boundless, EMDR is offered within a relational, trauma-informed approach—not as a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Is EMDR therapy right for me?
You don’t need to have one clearly defined traumatic event to consider EMDR. People often seek EMDR when past experiences still seem to show up in their emotions, relationships, or body—even when they understand intellectually that they’re safe now.
Maybe you've noticed:
-
Racing thoughts, panic, or difficulty sleeping
-
Feeling on edge even when things are calm
-
Avoiding certain people, places, memories, or conversations
-
Overthinking and second-guessing yourself
-
Feeling disconnected or reactive in relationships
-
Emotional numbness, exhaustion, or difficulty feeling present
And you might be wondering:
-
Why do I keep reacting this way?
-
Why can’t I just move on?
-
Does it “count” as trauma if I don’t remember everything?
-
Will EMDR make me relive what happened?
-
What if previous therapy didn’t help?
Not sure if EMDR is right for you?
A free consultation can help you figure out whether EMDR or another approach may be a better fit.
What EMDR therapy is and how it can help.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, trauma-focused therapy designed to help the brain process distressing experiences that continue to feel emotionally or physically active in the present. You may know logically that something is over and still notice your body, emotions, or relationships reacting as if the threat is still here.
HOW DOES EMDR WORK?
During EMDR, you briefly focus on aspects of a distressing memory while using bilateral stimulation, often through guided eye movements or tapping. The goal isn’t to erase what happened or force you to relive every detail. Instead, the work helps reduce the intensity attached to the memory so it can feel more like something that happened in the past rather than something you are still experiencing in the present.
Traumatic experiences that continue to affect your sense of safety, emotions, or daily life.
Early experiences that still shape self-worth, attachment, boundaries, or relationships.
Experiences involving sexual harm, unsafe relationships, betrayal, or loss of trust.
Fear responses or anxiety that may be connected to past experiences.
Memories, situations, sensations, or reminders that produce strong emotional reactions.
Persistent shame, guilt, fear, or beliefs such as “I’m not safe,” or “It was my fault.”
Why our approach to EMDR is relational, not robotic
EMDR follows a structured protocol, but therapy shouldn’t feel like someone is simply administering a technique to you. At Boundless, the relationship you build with your therapist, your readiness, and your sense of safety are part of the treatment.
Our approach is:
-
Relational.
Your therapist stays actively engaged with you throughout EMDR rather than simply guiding you through a protocol. -
Paced to you.
We don’t rush into trauma processing. Preparation, trust and stabilization are part of the work. -
Attachment-informed.
We consider how early relationships and experiences may still shape safety, connection and present-day patterns. -
Body-aware
EMDR can bring up physical as well as emotional responses, so grounding, body awareness and regulation can be integrated when helpful. -
Culturally responsive
Trauma doesn’t happen outside of context. We consider culture, identity, family systems, migration, relationships and the environments that have shaped your experience.
Looking for EMDR that considers more than just the protocol?
What to expect in EMDR therapy at Boundless
EMDR follows an eight-phase treatment model, but the process doesn’t look identical for every person. Your therapist will move through the work at a pace that reflects your history, goals, readiness, and response to treatment. In practice, the work often falls into three broader stages: preparation, reprocessing, and integration.
1. Preparation and Foundation Building
Early sessions focus on understanding your history, what brings you to therapy, and which experiences or patterns may be connected to what you’re struggling with now. Your therapist will also assess readiness for trauma processing and help you build grounding, regulation, and coping strategies to use during and between sessions.
2. Identifying Targets and Reprocessing
When you’re ready, you and your therapist identify specific memories, beliefs, emotions, or body sensations to work with. During reprocessing, bilateral stimulation—often through guided eye movements or tapping—is used while you briefly attend to aspects of the experience and notice what comes up. Your therapist remains engaged throughout the process and helps you stay oriented to the present.
3. Integration and Ongoing Therapy
After reprocessing, therapy continues to make sense of what has shifted and how it shows up in your current life, relationships, and sense of self. EMDR can be one part of a broader therapy process rather than something that happens in isolation.
Throughout the process, we prioritize relational attunement. Your therapist is present with you—not simply guiding a protocol, but paying attention to your responses, helping you stay grounded, and adjusting the pace when needed.
Frequently asked questions.
01
Will EMDR make me relive my trauma?
EMDR does involve bringing aspects of a distressing experience to mind, but you do not have to describe every detail or retell the story repeatedly. Your therapist will help you stay grounded and move at a pace that feels manageable.
02
Is EMDR only for PTSD?
No. EMDR is best known for treating trauma and PTSD, but it may also be used with anxiety, panic, distressing memories, relationship trauma, negative beliefs, and other experiences connected to past events.
03
Can EMDR therapy be done online?
Yes. EMDR can be provided virtually when clinically appropriate. Boundless offers online EMDR therapy to clients in NYC and across NY, NJ, MA & FL, depending on therapist licensure.
04
How long does EMDR therapy take?
There is no set number of sessions. The length of treatment depends on your history, goals, the experiences being addressed, and how much preparation or stabilization is needed before reprocessing begins.
05
Do I need to remember exactly what happened for EMDR to work?
Not necessarily. EMDR can sometimes focus on emotions, body sensations, beliefs, images, or fragments of memory rather than a perfectly clear narrative of what happened.
06
How much does EMDR therapy cost, and can I use insurance?
Fees vary by clinician. Boundless is primarily an out-of-network practice, and clients with out-of-network benefits may be eligible for reimbursement. View our Fees & Insurance page for current rates and coverage information.
Start EMDR therapy in NYC & across NY, NJ, MA & FL
You don’t need to know for sure whether EMDR is the right fit before reaching out. Tell us what you’ve been experiencing, what you’re hoping to work on, and we can help you determine whether EMDR—or another approach—makes sense for you.
Start with a free 25-minute consultation and we’ll help you find the right clinician and next step.