EMDR THERAPY
EMDR AT IMPACT: PROCESS THE PAST, MOVE FORWARD
Evidence-Based Support for Healing from Trauma
✔ Tailored Treatment
✔ Safe & Supportive Environment
✔ Inclusive Care
✔ Expert Clinicians
✔ Specialized Testing
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy designed to help people process traumatic memories and reduce the emotional charge those memories carry in the present.
Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR is now recognized by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress and related conditions. Rather than requiring clients to talk in detail about what happened, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, most commonly guided eye movements, to help the brain reprocess distressing memories so they feel less overwhelming and more integrated.
The goal is not to erase what happened. It is to change how a memory is held in the nervous system, so that reminders of the past no longer hijack the present.
KEY BENEFITS
Who Can Benefit From EMDR?
EMDR is well-researched for a wide range of concerns:
Whether you're seeking support for the first time or have previous experience with therapy, our individualized approach ensures your specific needs are addressed.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Single-incident trauma
Anxiety & Panic
Performance anxiety
Grief & Loss
Complex or developmental trauma
Distressing memories that continue to intrude
Attachment wounds and relational trauma
Phobias
Chronic pain with a psychological component
Our EMDR Clinicians
Our EMDR-trained clinicians bring both formal training and deep clinical experience to this work.
Hannah Fordin, LMSW
Hannah works with children, adolescents, and adults from our Fishkill office, blending EMDR with cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and DBT approaches within a person-centered, trauma-informed framework. She is especially passionate about supporting adolescents through the transition to adulthood as they navigate a changing sense of self, relationships, and identity.
Jess Harman, LMSW
Jess works with clients of all ages from our Fishkill office and via telehealth in New York and Florida, drawing on specialized training in EMDR and exposure-based approaches. She brings 15 years in the anti-violence field to her work with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, hate crimes, and religious trauma, and offers affirming care to neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, and non-traditional relationship communities.
IMPACT's Approach to EMDR
At IMPACT, EMDR is delivered by trained clinicians as part of individual therapy. We approach EMDR the way we approach all of our clinical work: relationally, thoughtfully, and integrated with a broader understanding of who each client is.
Our clinicians take time to establish safety and stabilization before beginning reprocessing work. For clients with complex trauma histories or attachment wounds, EMDR is often woven together with attachment-based and psychodynamic approaches, so that the work addresses not just isolated memories but the relational patterns those memories helped shape.
What EMDR at IMPACT Looks Like:
Careful preparation: We do not rush into reprocessing. Building trust, stabilization, and grounding skills comes first.
Individualized pacing: The pace of EMDR is set by the client's nervous system, not by a fixed protocol timeline.
Integration with other approaches: EMDR is often blended with trauma-focused therapy, attachment-based work, or psychodynamic exploration.
Trauma-informed and identity-affirming: Our clinicians work with clients across identities and honor the ways culture, systemic experience, and identity shape how trauma is held.
Available for adults and adolescents: EMDR can be adapted for teens as well as adults, with modifications appropriate to developmental stage.
The Eight Phases of EMDR
EMDR follows a structured eight-phase protocol. While every client's course of treatment looks different, the phases provide a consistent framework for the work:
1. History Taking
The clinician gathers information about the client's history, current concerns, and treatment goals and identifies which memories may be targeted.
5. Installation
Adaptive, positive beliefs about the self are strengthened in place of the negative beliefs originally associated with the memory.
2. Preparation
The clinician introduces EMDR, teaches grounding and resourcing skills, and ensures the client has tools for managing distress between sessions.
6. Body Scan
The client checks in with physical sensations to identify any residual tension or unresolved material.
3. Assessment
The client and clinician identify a specific memory to work with, including the image, associated beliefs, emotions, and body sensations.
7. Closure
Each session ends with grounding and stabilization, ensuring the client leaves regulated and resourced.
4. Desensitization
Using bilateral stimulation, the client processes the memory while the clinician tracks emotional and physiological shifts.
8. Reevaluation
At the start of the next session, the clinician and client assess what has shifted and what remains, guiding the direction of continued work.
Thrive. Heal. Grow. Restore.
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Empower Yourself & Start Healing Today!
✔ Safe & Supportive Environment
✔ Inclusive Care
✔ Expert Clinicians
✔ Tailored Treatment
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