EMDR Therapy Coming November 2026: Why I Chose to Add EMDR to My Practice

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with clients through some of the most difficult experiences of their lives. One thing I have learned is that what brings someone into therapy today is not always the full story. Anxiety, relationship difficulties, emotional triggers, grief, or low self-worth can sometimes be connected to experiences from the past that have never been fully processed.

This is one of the reasons I decided to pursue specialized training in EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Beginning in November 2026, I will be offering EMDR as an additional therapeutic approach at Evolution Counselling Services.

Why I Decided to Train in EMDR

I chose to pursue EMDR because of the clients I have the opportunity to work with. People come to therapy with very different concerns, but I often see connections between present-day struggles and experiences that have shaped the way they see themselves, their relationships, and the world around them.

For example, someone may understand that they are safe today but still feel anxious in situations that remind them of something that happened in the past. Someone who has experienced betrayal may find it difficult to trust again, even when their current relationship is healthy. Someone who experienced rejection may become highly sensitive to criticism or signs that they are being abandoned.

These reactions can be confusing. You may even find yourself thinking, "I know this shouldn't bother me this much, so why am I reacting this way?" Our emotional responses don't always follow what we know intellectually. Experiences from the past can continue to influence how we feel and respond in the present, sometimes without us fully understanding the connection.

That is what made EMDR particularly interesting to me. It offers another way of working with experiences that may continue to carry a strong emotional charge long after the original event has passed.

What Is EMDR?

EMDR is a structured psychotherapy approach designed to help people process distressing experiences. The goal is not to erase memories or make difficult experiences disappear. Instead, EMDR is designed to help the brain process those experiences so that the memories become less emotionally overwhelming and have less influence on how a person feels and responds today.

Sometimes we can remember something that happened in the past without feeling particularly distressed by it. Other experiences can feel very different. A memory, situation, conversation, or even a particular feeling can suddenly bring back the same fear, anger, sadness, or sense of helplessness associated with the original experience.

EMDR aims to help change that relationship with the memory. The experience remains part of your history, but it may no longer have the same emotional power over your present.

When the Past Shows Up in the Present

Trauma and difficult experiences do not always show up as obvious memories or flashbacks. Sometimes they appear through patterns in everyday life.

You might find yourself constantly on alert, avoiding certain situations, reacting strongly to things that seem relatively minor, struggling to trust people, or feeling emotionally overwhelmed in circumstances that don't seem to explain the intensity of your reaction.

These patterns can affect relationships, confidence, work, and everyday well-being. For example, someone who has experienced betrayal may constantly look for signs that they are being deceived again. Someone who grew up in an unpredictable environment may find it difficult to relax, even when they are objectively safe. Someone who experienced emotional rejection may have developed a deep belief that they are not worthy of love.

These responses are not necessarily character flaws. They can be ways we have learned to protect ourselves based on what we have experienced. Understanding how the past influences the present can be an important part of changing those patterns.

What EMDR May Help With

EMDR may help clients process traumatic or distressing experiences and reduce the emotional distress associated with them. It can also be used to address anxiety, fears, emotional triggers, and negative beliefs about themselves.

For some clients, this may mean working through a specific traumatic experience. For others, it may involve exploring why certain situations continue to produce such strong emotional reactions or why particular beliefs about themselves have been so difficult to change.

The process may also help clients develop healthier, more adaptive beliefs and feel less controlled by painful experiences from the past.

EMDR Isn't About Just "Moving On"

One of the things I think is important to understand about difficult experiences is that simply telling ourselves to move on does not necessarily make the emotional impact disappear.

A person can know that an experience is over and still carry its effects. They can understand that they are safe while their body continues to react as though they are in danger. They can know that their current partner is trustworthy while still feeling anxious because of what happened in a previous relationship.

I don't believe therapy should be about judging those reactions or telling someone that they should be over something by now. Instead, I want to help clients understand where those reactions come from and, when appropriate, work through the experiences contributing to them.

Why This Matters to Me as a Therapist

Adding EMDR to my practice isn't about replacing the approaches I already use. It is about expanding the ways I can support my clients. There are many valuable therapeutic strategies that can help people manage anxiety, regulate emotions, improve relationships, challenge unhelpful thoughts, and develop healthier coping skills. These tools can make a meaningful difference.

At the same time, I believe it is also important to look beneath the symptoms when appropriate. If someone is experiencing anxiety, what might be contributing to it? If someone struggles with trust, where did that fear begin? If certain situations consistently trigger an intense emotional response, what might those reactions be connected to?

For me, EMDR is another tool that can help explore those questions.

My goal isn't simply to help clients cope with what they are experiencing today. When it is appropriate, I want to help them process some of the experiences that may be contributing to those difficulties in the first place.

EMDR Coming to Evolution Counselling Services in November 2026

Beginning in November 2026, EMDR will be available as an additional therapeutic approach at Evolution Counselling Services. As with any therapeutic approach, EMDR will not necessarily be appropriate for everyone or every concern. I will continue to take an individualized approach with each client, considering their goals, circumstances, and needs when determining what therapeutic approach makes the most sense.

For me, adding EMDR is about giving clients another option and expanding the ways I can support them. Sometimes therapy is about learning how to manage what you're experiencing. Sometimes it is about understanding where those experiences come from. And sometimes, when the time is right, it is about processing what has happened so the past doesn't continue to influence your present.

EMDR will be available at Evolution Counselling Services beginning November 2026.