Say Good-Bye to Trauma
What is Somatic Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)?
Somatic EMDR Therapy combines two powerful trauma treatments: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Somatic Therapy. While EMDR focuses on how trauma and anxiety affects the brain, Somatic Therapy supports the physical release of senstations caused by trauma.
By integrating the mental and physical approach to trauma, Somatic EMDR Therapy can lead to profound healing.
What Experts say
Trauma specialists such as Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (author of long-time bestseller The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma), Dr. Arielle Schwartz (world-renowned author, trauma expert) and Dr. Lyon Scotts (founder of The Embody Lab) consider Somatic EMDR Therapy to combine two of the most effective ways to treat trauma.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful therapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987 and proven highly effective for treating trauma, anxiety, and related challenges. When someone experiences trauma, the brain can’t always process the memory fully. Instead, it may get “stuck” with the same intense emotions and body reactions, which is why certain triggers can feel like reliving the event.
In EMDR, the therapist guides gentle left-right (bilateral) stimulation through eye movements, taps, or sounds while the client focuses on the memory. This helps the brain reprocess the experience so it loses its emotional intensity and becomes part of the past, rather than something that keeps replaying in the present.
Research shows EMDR works by calming the brain’s fear center (amygdala), supporting memory processing (hippocampus), and strengthening reasoning and regulation (prefrontal cortex). The memory remains, but it no longer feels as painful or overpowering
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic Therapy is a healing approach that focuses on the connection between the mind and body. When we experience trauma and stress it can get “stuck” in the body as tension, pain, or other physical sensations.
Somatic therapy helps you become aware of these sensations and gently release them through movement, breath, posture and mindful attention. Working with the body calms the nervous system, allowing unresolved emotions and trauma to be processed safely. This approach helps you feel more grounded, resilient, and fully present in your body.
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