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Approaches · EMDR
EMDR Therapyin Edmonton
EMDR is a structured therapy that aims to help individuals heal from the symptoms and emotional distress associated with disturbing life experiences.
It's one of my core approaches for working with trauma and PTSD, offered in person in Edmonton and by video across Alberta.
Definition
What EMDR is
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a psychotherapy approach that allows individuals to process distressing memories and experiences that contribute to psychological difficulties.
EMDR was developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987. It's based on the idea that traumatic memories can become “stuck” in the brain's processing system, causing psychological distress. EMDR aims to help these memories get processed properly, so they no longer cause problems.
How it works
In a session, I guide you through recalling a distressing memory while directing your attention to bilateral stimulation. That can be side-to-side eye movements, sounds, or taps. The bilateral stimulation is believed to help the brain reprocess the memory more effectively.
Who it's for
EMDR is primarily used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. It has also been applied to other conditions such as anxiety, depression, phobias, and more.
Where it helps
What I use EMDR for
Four of the most common reasons people bring EMDR into our work. Trauma is where it started, and it's still the centre of gravity.
Anxiety rooted in memory
EMDR helps alleviate anxiety by reprocessing distressing memories and reducing their emotional impact on the present.
Stress that outlasts the event
EMDR reduces stress by enabling the brain to process and integrate traumatic memories, diminishing their ongoing influence.
Trauma and PTSD
Trauma is where EMDR began, and it's the work EMDR is known for. It works directly with the memories that still feel current, so they can start to feel like the past instead.
Depression tied to the past
EMDR alleviates depression by addressing and reprocessing traumatic experiences that contribute to depressive symptoms.
If what's weighing on you isn't on this list, that doesn't rule EMDR out. It's a conversation, and it starts wherever you are.
Working with Carly
How I Work
Hi, I'm Carly Colasimone. I work with adults who experience anxiety, depression, trauma, and a variety of other issues. My approach to therapy is client-centered and collaborative.
I believe that you are the expert in your own life, you are always in the driver's seat, and I might just pop in as GPS from time to time.
In EMDR that matters more than it sounds. We work together to challenge unhelpful patterns and build coping skills you can use outside the room. You set the pace, and nothing happens in a session without your say-so.
The bigger picture
Where EMDR Fits in Our Work
Everything I offer sits on the same ground: client-centered therapy, where you steer and I stay honest. EMDR is a tool we bring in when something won't move by talking about it. You can understand exactly why you feel the way you do and still feel it. That gap is what EMDR is built for.
If the trouble is a thought pattern that keeps running, CBT may be the better tool. And if the pattern is saying yes when you mean no, EMDR and the Speak Up Skills work often support each other: processing the old memories that taught you to stay quiet, while you build the skills to speak up now.
What to expect
What a session actually looks like
Grounding comes first. Every time.
We start by talking
EMDR doesn't start with your hardest memory. In the first sessions we build a picture of what brought you in, and we practise grounding skills you can use any time, in session or out of it. You'll know the plan before we process anything.
Processing happens in short sets
When you're ready, I'll ask you to hold a memory in mind while you follow the bilateral stimulation, in short sets. Between sets we pause, you tell me what you noticed, and we follow where it goes. You don't have to describe the memory in detail for this to work.
You're in control the whole time
You can pause or stop at any point. We end every session with time to settle before you head back into your day. Some people feel tired afterward. That's normal, and we plan for it.
The honest part
Who EMDR doesn't suit
EMDR isn't the right starting pointfor everyone, and I'd rather tell youthat here than after you've booked.
If life is in active crisis right now, we start by steadying things. Processing old memories takes capacity, and building that capacity is therapy too. If holding a memory in mind sounds unbearable at this point, we can begin with client-centered work and come back to EMDR when it feels possible. And some people process better by talking things through. That's a different way to do this work, and I offer it.
You don't have to pick an approach before we meet. Helping you find the right one is my job, and if we talk and EMDR isn't the fit, I'll say so.
My office
Helping In Person, By Phone, or Online
My office is at 5920 Gateway Boulevard NW, Unit 203, Edmonton. Whether you'd like to come by for in-person therapy or you'd prefer a phone call or video chat, I'm here to offer support in whatever way is most comfortable to you.
Video sessions are available anywhere in Alberta. I work with people in Calgary as well as Edmonton, and EMDR adapts well to both formats.
Questions
Questions people ask about EMDR
Do I have to talk about the memory in detail?
No. You choose how much you say out loud. I need enough to know what we're working with, and the processing itself doesn't depend on narrating every detail. Plenty of people do EMDR without ever describing the worst parts.
Is EMDR hypnosis?
No. You stay awake and in control for the whole session. You can speak, pause, or stop at any point, and many people say they feel more present during EMDR, not less.
How many sessions does EMDR take?
There's no standard number. A single distressing event sometimes resolves in a handful of sessions, while longer histories take longer. Once we understand what we're working with, I'll give you my honest read, and we'll check in as we go.
Does EMDR work over video?
Yes. Bilateral stimulation adapts well to video sessions, and I offer EMDR by video anywhere in Alberta. Some people prefer processing from their own space. If video isn't working for you, we adjust.
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