EMDR Therapy
in Shoreview, Minnesota
Heal what talking alone can’t reach.
EMDR therapy works directly with the nervous system to process what’s been stuck, so it no longer runs your life, your relationships, or your sense of self.
It’s time to heal with EMDR therapy.
You’ve hurt long enough.
You’ve done talk therapy before. And although talking with someone felt good and was helpful, it didn’t change things long term.
You experience the same persistent limiting beliefs and negative thoughts - not good enough, alone, not important. And they keep you from living your authentic life.
It’s time to do a different type of therapy. Therapy that will help you develop positive thoughts - that you are enough, you’re loved, and you are important.
EMDR is the therapy that will help you feel worthy, empowered, and let go of the pain of your past experiences.
What is EMDR?
EMDR therapy explained
If you’ve heard the term but aren’t sure what it actually involves, you’re not alone. Here’s what you need to know.
EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - is a highly effective, evidence-based therapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It was originally developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and has since become one of the most extensively researched therapies for trauma, anxiety, and a wide range of emotional difficulties.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR does not ask you to spend weeks discussing and analyzing traumatic experiences. Instead, it works with how the brain stores memories. When something overwhelming happens - especially in childhood or in relationships - the brain can have difficulty with processing the experience fully. The memory becomes “frozen” in the nervous system, unprocessed, still activated and raw. It shows up as anxiety, flashbacks, emotional numbness, and shows up in relationship patterns developed over time. It can also show up as a persistent feeling that something is wrong with you.
EMDR uses a structured process of bilateral stimulation - most commonly guided eye movements, but also tapping or sound - to help the brain re-engage its natural processing system and integrate those stuck memories. As this happens, the emotional charge of the memory typically decreases significantly. You still have the memory, but it loses its negative emotional grip on you.
The World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs all recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment for trauma. Decades of research support its efficacy - not just for PTSD, but for anxiety, depression, grief, phobias, and relationship wounds.
Why does bilateral stimulation work?
The leading theory is that bilateral stimulation mimics the neurological activity that occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep - the stage when the brain processes and integrates daily experiences. When trauma disrupts this process, memories stay fragmented and unprocessed. EMDR restarts that integration system, allowing the brain to do what it was designed to do.
How EMDR Therapy Works: The 8 Phases
EMDR follows a structured, evidence-based protocol developed to safely guide clients through trauma processing. Each phase has a distinct purpose.
History & Treatment Planning
We begin by understanding your history - not just the events you want to process, but the broader landscape of your life, your patterns, and what you're hoping to change. Together, we identify the target memories and experiences that are driving your current difficulties.
Preparation & Building Resources
Before any processing begins, we spend time building your resources. This includes grounding techniques, relaxation skills, deep breathing, and other mindfulness exercises to help you calm your mind and reduce stress. Sometimes we stay in phase 1 and 2 for a while, until you feel ready to move forward.
Assessment
We identify the specific memory to process: the image that most represents it, the negative belief you hold about yourself because of it - things like "I am not safe" or "I am not enough' — the emotions and physical sensations it activates, and the positive belief you'd like to hold instead. This creates a personalized map for the processing work ahead. Then we move on the Phase 4.
Desensitization Through Bilateral Stimulation
This is the heart of EMDR. While holding the target memory in mind, you follow bilateral stimulation — guided eye movements, tapping, or audio tones. Memories, emotions, and body sensations arise and shift as the brain begins to reprocess what's been frozen. I guide you through each set, following the natural flow of your processing, until the memory's distress level has significantly reduced.
Installation of Positive/Adaptive Belief
Once the memory has been desensitized, we strengthen the positive belief you identified in Phase 3 — the truth you want to feel in your body, not just understand intellectually. Bilateral stimulation is used to deepen and install this new belief at a neurological level, so it becomes something you genuinely carry rather than simply repeat to yourself.
Body Scan
You're guided through a careful scan of your body to check for any residual tension, activation, or discomfort related to the target memory. The body often holds what the mind doesn't fully register - and this phase ensures the processing is complete somatically, not just cognitively. If anything remains, we address it before moving on.
Closure & Stabilization
Every session - whether complete or not - ends with stabilization, if needed. It’s all about helping you fully return to the here and now. We use grounding and mindfulness to do that. We also discuss what to expect between sessions, as processing sometimes continues in the days that follow. This is normal, and a sign the work is integrating.
Reevaluation
At the start of each new session, we check in on previous targets — what has shifted, what still needs attention, and what has come up since we last met. This phase also guides us toward the next target memory.
What EMDR Therapy Helps With
EMDR was initially developed for PTSD, but its applications have expanded significantly as research has grown. If any of these connect for you, EMDR may be an important part of your healing.
Trauma & PTSD
Single-incident trauma, complex developmental trauma, childhood abuse or neglect, sexual abuse, medical trauma. EMDR is the gold-standard treatment.
Low Self-Esteem & Negative Core Beliefs
Deeply held beliefs like "I'm not enough," "I'm unlovable.” EMDR targets the specific experiences that installed these beliefs and rewires them into more adaptive beliefs.
Anxiety & Panic Attacks
Generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks. When anxiety has roots in past experiences, EMDR addresses these roots - not just the symptoms.
Grief & Loss
Complicated grief, traumatic loss, and anticipatory grief. EMDR can help you move through the places where grief becomes stuck, without bypassing the natural grieving process.
Relationship Trauma & Attachment Wounds
EMDR helps process emotional wounds from early caregiving relationships, resolve painful attachment patterns, address fears of abandonment, and heal relationship wounds.
Emotional Blocks & Stuck Patterns
When you know what you want to change but can't seem to change it - emotionally or behaviorally - there is often an unprocessed memory at the root. EMDR helps to locate and release it.
Outcomes of EMDR therapy
People who’ve experienced EMDR therapy say they notice:
Feeling calmer in situations that used to be stressful
Feeling more at ease
Less anxious feelings
Improved relationships because long-ago hurts no longer affect them
Their memories move from incomplete fragments to a clear picture
Feeling like they can move on from past situations and traumas more quickly
Decreased emotional charge to their memories that used to be distressing
New perspective and insight about past events
improved confidence and self-compassion
What EMDR Sessions Are Like
EMDR has a reputation for being mysterious or intense. In reality, most clients find it to be more manageable - and often more efficient - than they expected. Here's what you can genuinely anticipate.
Regular sessions are 50- to 90 minutes. Early sessions are largely preparatory - we spend time building your resources and creating enough safety that the processing work can happen without overwhelming you. No processing begins until you feel ready.
During processing phases, you'll hold a memory in mind while following my fingers (or another form of bilateral stimulation, such as tapping). Emotions, images, and physical sensations may arise — some expected, some surprising. I'll guide you through each set of bilateral stimulation and check in as you go. You're never alone in it.
Most clients report feeling tired but lighter after processing sessions. Some experience vivid dreams or continued processing between appointments. This is normal and actually a sign the work is integrating.
You are in control
You can pause or stop at any time. Nothing happens without your consent and active participation.
You don’t have to talk through every detail
EMDR does not require you to describe your experiences in depth. You can process without full verbal disclosure.
Results can be felt relatively quickly
Many clients notice meaningful shifts within a few sessions.
Works well alongside other therapy
EMDR integrates naturally within individual therapy and couples work.
EMDR Therapy FAQ
How is EMDR different from regular therapy?
Traditional therapy primarily works through insight, language, and cognitive understanding. EMDR works directly with the brain's memory processing system using bilateral stimulation to reprocess stuck or traumatic memories. It often produces change that talk therapy alone hasn't been able to achieve - particularly for trauma, anxiety, and deeply rooted emotional patterns.
Is EMDR therapy effective?
EMDR is an extensively researched therapy proven to heal trauma and distressing life experiences. Numerous other evaluations and studies show that EMDR therapy provides relief from a variety of body-based complaints. (And body does keep the score.)
Is EMDR safe?
EMDR is considered safe when conducted by a trained, certified therapist using the standard protocol. Preparation work ensures you have the resources to handle what comes up. Some clients do experience a temporary increase in emotions or vivid dreams as processing continues between sessions — this is normal and a sign of integration. I monitor your stability throughout and pace the work accordingly.
Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail?
No - and this is one of the most significant advantages of EMDR. You do not need to describe your traumatic experiences at length. You will hold them in mind, but detailed verbal disclosure is not required. Many clients find this a profound relief, particularly those for whom talking about the trauma has felt retraumatizing in the past.
Do you accept insurance for EMDR therapy?
Yes - and I often integrate EMDR with individual and couples work when a client's personal trauma history is driving relationship patterns. As both an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist and a therapist with advanced training in attachment-based couple therapy, I'm able to hold both threads of work in an integrated, thoughtful way.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
This depends on the complexity of what you're bringing. Single-incident trauma (one specific event) can often be substantially processed in 6-12 sessions. Complex developmental trauma - patterns built over years of childhood experience - typically requires a longer course of treatment. We'll talk about realistic expectations for your specific situation in our consultation.
Can EMDR be done via telehealth / online?
Yes. I offer online EMDR therapy for clients in Minnesota. Telehealth EMDR uses alternative forms of bilateral stimulation adapted for video — including tapping and auditory tones — and is equally effective. Many people appreciate the accessibility and comfort of doing this work from home.
Do you accept insurance for EMDR therapy?
I am an out-of-network provider and do not accept insurance directly. I provide monthly superbills you can submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. Many PPO plans cover a portion of out-of-network mental health services. I recommend calling your insurer to ask about your benefits before we begin.
What EMDRIA Certification Means - and Why It Matters to You
EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association) is the governing body for EMDR practice standards. EMDRIA Certification requires completing an approved EMDR Basic Training, logging a specific number of clinical hours using EMDR, receiving consultation from an approved EMDRIA consultant, and passing a rigorous certification process. It represents a significant level of training and supervised experience beyond basic EMDR training, and it means you’re working with a therapist who has been vetted in using this method with clients.
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist
Ania Scanlan, MA, LMFT
Let’s Work Together
You don't have to keep carrying what happened to you.
There is another way.
Take the first step - schedule a
15-minute consultation to talk about whether EMDR is right for you.
