EMDR Therapy on Long Island.
Find Healing from Trauma with Our Expert Clinicians
“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
At Gooding Wellness Group, our specially trained EMDR therapists help clients across Long Island heal from trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and more. Located in Cold Spring Harbor, we offer in-person and teletherapy appointments to make expert care accessible wherever you are on Long Island.
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a technical phrase used to describe an extremely effective means of treating trauma. While EMDR is a comparatively new treatment, clinical trials have shown this technique can speed recovery from trauma.
The most basic description of EMDR involves moving your eyes or "tapping" on either side of your body in a specific and guided way while working with your clinician to process traumatic memories.
Specially trained clinicians use EMDR in conjunction with other types of therapy as a way to safely approach and process trauma. The technique allows you to recall the traumatic event in a way that is less intense, without feeling controlled or destabilized by it.
While EMDR is primarily used in trauma therapy, it has also been used to effectively treat anxiety, depression, and other disorders like eating, personality, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
We also offer the Flash Technique assist in the treatment of certain traumas. Also check out Our Facing Trauma Micro Course!
Have more questions?
Basic Explanation of EMDR:
When a trauma occurs, it seems to get locked in the nervous system with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, and feelings that went in at the time of the event. The eye movements or other bilateral stimulation (BLS) we use in EMDR seem to unlock the nervous system and allow the mind and body to process the experience. That may be what is happening in REM or dream sleep, the BLS helps to process the unconscious material. It is important to remember that it is your own brain that will be doing the healing and that you are the one in control.
Basic Explanation of EMDR Procedure:
We will begin by bringing up a memory you want to work on with the thoughts, feelings, and body sensations associated with it to stimulate the memory network. Then we will begin the BLS, and you are to let whatever happens happen without censoring it. It is like a mind-body free association. When you feel like you are at the end of a piece of processing and you are ready to check in, we will pause the BLS, The therapist will ask you what is happening, and you will simply report back your experience. Then a new set of BLS will begin. At times the therapist will ask you to return to the memory you started with and report your experience and to rate the level of disturbance on a scale from 0 to 10. It is most important that you not judge or censor your experience. BLS can be done for a while and then discussed with the therapist. BLS will continue and check-ins until the memory you started with is no longer disturbing to you.
Serving Long Island with EMDR Therapy
Gooding Wellness Group is conveniently located at 147 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, and serves clients from Huntington, Upper Brookville, Bayville, Northport, Syosset, Oyster Bay, and communities across Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Can't make it in? We also offer EMDR via teletherapy to clients throughout New York State.
What does an EMDR session actually involve?
A typical session starts with identifying a specific memory or trigger to work on, along with the thoughts and body sensations connected to it. Your clinician then guides you through sets of bilateral stimulation — eye movements or gentle tapping — while you notice whatever comes up, without judging or forcing it. You'll pause between sets to check in and report what you're experiencing.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
This varies by person and by what you're working on. Some people notice a shift in how a specific memory feels after just a few sessions; more complex or long-standing trauma typically takes longer. Your clinician will talk with you about a realistic timeline once they understand your history and goals.
Is EMDR only for PTSD?
No. While EMDR was originally developed for PTSD and is most established there, it's also used to treat anxiety, depression, and certain eating, personality, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Does EMDR require me to talk in detail about the traumatic event?
No. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn't require you to describe the event in detail. You bring the memory to mind, and the bilateral stimulation does much of the processing work, your clinician isn't asking you to narrate what happened.
Is EMDR available via teletherapy?
Yes. We offer EMDR both in person at our Cold Spring Harbor office and via teletherapy to clients throughout New York State.
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