EMDR & Trauma Therapist in Denver, CO
Expert trauma therapy for when you’re ready to not just manage life but live it fully.
Sessions available online in Colorado and across all 43 PSYPACT-eligible states.
You're not certain it's trauma. Maybe it feels like stress, or just an ongoing sense that something isn’t quite right.
Words can fall short - but your body still holds the imprint.
Despite what the outside of your life shows, inside, your nervous system rarely feels settled. You might feel on edge more often than you’d like, reading into conversations or wondering if you said the wrong thing. You may replay interactions afterward, constantly second-guessing yourself. Small things feel bigger than they “should,” even when you’re telling yourself it’s not a big deal.
Maybe you grew up in a home where there wasn’t much room (or any at all) for your emotions, where unpredictability was the norm, or where love and affection came with strict conditions. You may have experienced sexual abuse, physical violence, emotional manipulation, neglect, or chronic instability. Or maybe there’s nothing you would label as “big”—just years of walking on eggshells, being hyper-responsible, or constantly needing to read the rooms you’re in.
Trauma can look like:
Flashbacks or intrusive memories
Nightmares or disrupted sleep
Feeling constantly on edge or easily startled
Avoiding reminders of what happened
Feeling unsafe even when things are objectively okay
But it often shows up like:
Overfunctioning at work and in relationships
Feeling responsible for everyone else’s emotions
Perfectionism that doesn’t let you rest
Intense self-criticism and shame
Panic, overwhelm, or emotional shutdown
Feeling like you’re not the one driving your own life
And for many BIPOC and immigrant clients, this also includes daily racial stress—microaggressions, underrepresentation, and carrying the emotional labor of navigating systems that were not built with you in mind.
WHAT IS EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess experiences that continue to affect you in the present.
When something overwhelming and painful happens—whether it’s a single event or years of chronic stress—the nervous system can store it in a way that keeps it feeling current. EMDR helps the brain and body integrate those experiences so they feel resolved rather than constantly reactivated.
While EMDR is widely known for treating traumas such as sexual assault, emotional and physical abuse, or motor-vehicle accidents, it is not limited to those experiences.
EMDR can also help with:
Anxiety and chronic stress
Perfectionism and self-criticism
Imposter syndrome
Relationship patterns
Performance blocks
Parenting triggers
You do not need to identify your experience as traumatic for EMDR to be effective. If something still feels charged, reactive, or hard to shift—EMDR can likely help.
MY APPROACH
I specialize in complex trauma—the kind that develops over time and often within relationships.
This includes anything from early attachment wounds and chronic unpredictability to emotional neglect and abuse.
Trauma treatment has been the focus of my work for nearly two decades. I started my career working with sexual assault survivors and never looked back. Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of individuals navigating traumatic histories, who have allowed me to bear witness to their incredible lives and resilient spirits. I have therefore been able to develop a nuanced understanding of how these experiences show up in everyday life.
Like many of my clients, maybe you too were hyper-responsible or hyper-aware of everyone else’s moods while growing up. Today, hypervigilance, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and emotional shutdown might be your norms. Each of these experiences shapes the nervous system. None of them are personality flaws—they are adaptations that once helped you survive. This is work I know deeply.
EMDR is one of the important tools I use to help shift these patterns at their root.
When the brain doesn’t fully process something painful or overwhelming, it can get stored in a way that keeps it feeling present and alive—which is why certain triggers can feel disproportionately intense, even years later.
During EMDR, we use bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements) to help the brain reprocess those experiences so they become integrated rather than reactive. You remain aware and in control the entire time. Over time, memories feel less charged, beliefs begin to shift, and your nervous system no longer has to work so hard to protect you.
What to expect from EMDR
In our work together, we’re not just building a foundation once and moving on—we’re returning to it again and again.
As we move through different stages of EMDR, we continue strengthening your capacity to feel grounded and present, and reconnecting you with your body in ways that feel safe enough. Insight matters, and so does regulation, and we work with both throughout the process. That may include EMDR, somatic work, parts work, and nervous system support like the Safe and Sound Protocol when it’s helpful. This isn’t a linear process—we respond based on what your system needs.
As we begin to process deeper material, things can feel unfamiliar at times. You may notice shifts in how you think, feel, or respond. We move at a pace that respects your capacity while still allowing for meaningful change.
If you’re ready to stretch emotionally, you’re in the right place. This is transformative work—and it can be tough. That means you won’t always want to show up. That’s human and welcome here. And I’ve found, over and over again, that when you stay with the process—at your own pace—relief, clarity, compassion, and even joy become possible.
HERE IT IS POSSIBLE TO:
Feel more present in your own life
Recognize that you have options, even when things feel hard
Respond instead of react
Sit with discomfort and vulnerability
Break cycles that don’t serve you anymore
Let go of the belief that everything is your fault (or your responsibility)
Feel worthy regardless of productivity or achievement
Have greater ease in your body
Understand that your hard experiences shaped you, but they don’t define you
Come back to safety and connection after dysregulation
THE PAST DOESN’T HAVE TO KEEP DICTATING THE PRESENT.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQS
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Many clients want to start EMDR after traditional talk therapy helped them understand their story, but didn’t fully shift how they feel in their body or help them feel the kind of long-term change and impact they needed. EMDR works at both cognitive and nervous system levels, often allowing change to happen more deeply and efficiently.
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No. EMDR is structured to help you process experiences without becoming overwhelmed. You remain present and in control throughout the session. We prioritize safety and stabilization the entire time.
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Great question! It is completely okay to not have this answer before you start therapy. That said, trauma can be understood as an emotional and neurobiological response to an event(s) that overwhelms an individual’s existing capacity to cope. It is possible for trauma to manifest as being chronically on edge, hyper-responsible, easily triggered, emotionally shut down, or stuck in shame or self-blame; these may be signs your nervous system adapted to stress or traumatic stress over time. We can safely explore your experiences together and find language that fits those experiences.
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Much of my work focuses on complex trauma, which develops over time within relationships or chronic stress environments. I have extensive experience treating attachment trauma, childhood, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse and neglect, and long-standing patterns of hypervigilance and shame. EMDR is a central part of my practice, and I integrate it thoughtfully with other somatic and neurobiological tools, such as Safe and Sound Protocol, and mindfulness.
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That’s completely okay. EMDR does not require perfect memory. We can successfully work with what your nervous system is currently holding—emotions, body sensations, beliefs—rather than forcing detailed recall.