EMDR Therapy in Ann Arbor for Anxiety, Trauma & Grief (Online)
I offer online EMDR therapy to clients in Ann Arbor and across Michigan. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy that helps your brain reprocess painful memories so they no longer feel as emotionally charged. It's especially effective for anxiety — including the anxiety, panic, and emotional reactivity that can surface or intensify during perimenopause — as well as trauma, grief, and the weight of major life transitions. Sessions are fully online, so you can do this work from a private, comfortable space anywhere in Michigan.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. First developed by Francine Shapiro in 1989, it has been around for 35 years and there is an abundance of scientific research to support its clinical effectiveness.
Using a structured 8-phase protocol, EMDR identifies the core beliefs that keep you stuck. Bringing a painful memory or experience to mind — something from the past, a current situation, or a future worry — we explore the negative thoughts, beliefs, and physical sensations connected to it, then strengthen a new, positive belief you'd rather connect to that experience instead.
“Changing the memories that form the way we see ourselves also changes the way we view others. Therefore, our relationships, job performance, what we are willing to do or are able to resist, all move in a positive direction.” ― Francine Shapiro
EMDR for anxiety in Ann Arbor
Anxiety is the most common reason clients come to me for EMDR, and it's one of the conditions EMDR treats most effectively. If you're searching for EMDR for anxiety in Ann Arbor, this modality can help with:
Generalized worry that's hard to control
Social or performance anxiety
Anxiety attacks and panic attacks
Hypervigilance — feeling constantly on edge
Anxiety that seemed to appear out of nowhere in your late 30s or 40s
That last one matters for many women I work with. Perimenopausal hormonal shifts can surface old wounds and amplify anxiety that previously felt manageable. EMDR addresses the underlying experiences those shifts are bringing to the surface — not just the symptom on top.
EMDR therapy across Southeast Michigan
Because I work entirely online, you don't need to live in Ann Arbor to do EMDR with me. I see clients throughout Southeast Michigan — including Detroit, Northville, and the surrounding metro area — as well as anywhere else in the state. Online EMDR means no commute to an office: you do the work from a private, comfortable space of your own, which many people find makes it easier to settle in and feel safe. Wherever you are in Michigan, the protocol and the support are the same.
EMDR for trauma and PTSD in Ann Arbor
EMDR was originally developed for trauma, and it remains one of the most well-researched trauma treatments available. If you're looking for online trauma therapy or EMDR for PTSD in Ann Arbor, EMDR can help with the responses that trauma leaves behind: intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares; hypervigilance and feeling constantly on edge; emotional reactivity to reminders; and avoidance of certain places, people, or thoughts. I work with clients who have experienced single event traumas — an accident, a sudden loss, a health scare.
One of the things people find most relieving about EMDR for trauma: you don't have to retell the story in detail for it to work. EMDR lets the brain do much of the reprocessing internally, so healing doesn't require reliving every part of what happened out loud.
What Other symptoms does EMDR therapy help with?
EMDR helps the brain reprocess painful memories and experiences so they no longer feel as emotionally charged or overwhelming. It is especially effective for symptoms connected to specific distressing memories or experiences, but it can also help with present-day triggers rooted in past events. Beyond anxiety and trauma, EMDR can be used to treat a variety of other symptoms related to mood, grief and loss, as well as identity, such as:
Low mood and emotion regulation — persistent sadness, hopelessness, anger and irritability, difficulty managing strong emotions.
Grief and loss — shock and disorientation after a sudden loss, difficulty managing distress after a loss, and prolonged grief from a loss that may have happened years ago.
Identity and self-esteem — low self-worth, guilt or shame, and negative core beliefs like "I'm not good enough."
Perimenopause and hormonal anxiety — anxiety that appeared seemingly out of nowhere in your late 30s or 40s, panic attacks and heart palpitations, hormonal mood swings, old grief resurfacing during the transition, and the identity shifts of midlife.
How does online EMDR therapy work?
A common question: does EMDR work online? Yes. Online EMDR is well-established and uses the same protocol as in-person work — bilateral stimulation is delivered through visual cues on your screen, sounds, or self-tapping, all guided in real time. For many people, doing this work from their own private, familiar space actually makes it easier to settle in.
Like any therapeutic process, EMDR begins by assessing your past experiences, current concerns, and future goals, and identifying the memories you'd like to target. (EMDR isn't right for everyone, and we'll determine fit together.) Before processing any distressing material, we lay the groundwork:
Review your history and current concerns
Teach grounding and calming skills
Help you develop an internal "safe space" or calming imagery
Then, when you're ready, we identify a specific memory to work on and notice the emotions, body sensations, and negative belief connected to it — then choose a new, positive belief you'd like to strengthen instead. You engage in bilateral stimulation — guided eye movements, sounds, or gentle tapping — while holding the memory and the new belief in mind at the same time. This "dual attention" is what helps reduce the intensity of the memory.
Bilateral stimulation happens in sets of about 15–20 seconds, with brief check-ins between sets about what you're noticing now. You don't need to describe the trauma in detail — EMDR lets the brain do much of the work internally. Over time, the charge on the memory reduces while the new, positive belief takes hold.
When should someone consider EMDR therapy?
Whether you're searching for EMDR for anxiety in Ann Arbor or online EMDR therapy across Michigan and beyond — you're in the right place.
EMDR therapy might be the right step if you:
Experience anxiety or panic, or feel frozen or paralyzed
Feel stuck in a loop of depression, grief, or something you just can't shake
Have experienced a sudden or unexpected loss and feel shocked, disoriented, or like "did this really happen?"
Have experienced a single-incident trauma (accident, death, natural disaster, health scare)
Find old wounds getting triggered in current relationships — family, romantic, or professional
Are navigating perimenopause and finding anxiety, reactivity, or old wounds suddenly more intense than they used to be
You've taken care of everyone else. Here's your permission slip to take care of you.
If anything on this page made you think that's me — that's worth a conversation. Reach out below and tell me a little about what's bringing you here. We'll schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if we're a good fit, and go from there.