EMDR Therapy in Oakland, CA
Trauma-informed therapy for adults ready to feel the past loosen its hold on their future.
Offering EMDR in Oakland, with online sessions across California.
When feeling safe seems impossible.
If you’ve been through trauma, it can feel like your body never got the memo that you’re safe now. You may feel on edge, overwhelmed by triggers, or pulled back into memories or emotional flashbacks that don’t seem to match your present life. Even when you understand what happened, your system reacts as if it’s still happening.
EMDR helps you process the past instead of reliving it. We help reduce the emotional charge of old experiences, so they feel less triggering and less present.
EMDR Therapy | Oakland, CA
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a trauma-focused therapy that helps people process distressing experiences that continue to affect them in the present. During EMDR, we use bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating taps, while you work with memories, emotions, beliefs, and body sensations connected to the experience.
EMDR therapy is especially helpful for adults who feel overwhelmed by triggers, intrusive memories, emotional flashbacks, or a constant sense of bracing. Using bilateral stimulation, EMDR allows the brain to reprocess past experiences so they feel less intense in the present. Over time, the past loses its grip, and your system can respond to life as it is now.
This is a haven where your nervous system is supported, your story is honored, and your healing is never rushed.
EMDR Therapy for Trauma | Oakland, CA
What Can EMDR Therapy Help With?
Relief from Trauma, Complex Trauma, & PTSD
EMDR therapy can reduce the intensity of traumatic memories and emotional flashbacks, helping trauma and PTSD feel less overwhelming and more integrated.
Reduced Anxiety, Panic, & Fear Responses
When triggers hijack your nervous system, panic attacks, phobias, and constant worry can be difficult to deal with. EMDR can help that feeling begin to soften.
Healing from Depression & Emotional Numbness
EMDR therapy can help lift emotional heaviness, shutdown, and emptiness, allowing more connection, energy, and emotional range to return to your life.
Support for ADHD & Nervous System Overwhelm
For people with ADHD and a trauma history, emotional overwhelm, rejection sensitivity, or past experiences can intensify everyday stress. EMDR can help address trauma-related triggers and beliefs alongside ADHD.
Relief from Shame, Low Self-Esteem, & Self-Criticism
Negative beliefs shaped by past experiences, such as “I’m not safe” or “I’m not enough,” can be hard to manage. EMDR can loosen these thoughts as the nervous system heals.
Support Through Grief & Complicated Loss
EMDR can help with distressing memories, guilt, or traumatic aspects of a loss that can make grieving feel especially overwhelming.
Let the past loosen its hold.
Book a free 20-minute consultation to get started.
Meet Our Team
Match With an EMDR Therapist in Oakland, CA
At Wildhaven Therapy, all of our therapists have specialized training in trauma treatment and EMDR. Wildhaven founder Mary Fleisch, LCSW, is an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA-approved Consultant. We believe in creating a grounded haven where deeper healing can take root.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Our Approach
How Our EMDR Therapy Works
Phase 1: Understand Your Story
We begin with a thorough history and goal setting, and decide together whether weekly EMDR or extended 1:1 EMDR sessions are the best fit.
Phase 2: Prepare & Resource
We actively practice grounding, containment, and nervous system regulation tools in session so your system feels supported before deeper processing.
Phase 3: Choose Targets
Together, we identify specific memories, patterns, and stuck beliefs, such as “I’m not safe,” “I’m too much,” or “I’m not good enough,” and set a pace that feels sustainable.
Phase 4: Reprocess With Care
Using bilateral stimulation, we process what’s been stuck, integrating somatic experiencing and IFS-informed parts work as needed.
Phase 5: Install What’s True Now
As old beliefs loosen, we support the integration of new, more adaptive beliefs, such as safety, worth, or choice, in ways that feel true in your body, not forced.
Phase 6: Body Scan & Completion
We check in with the body to notice any remaining tension or activation, and support further processing so the experience feels fully integrated.
Phase 7: Closure & Regulation
Each EMDR session ends with grounding and regulation, helping you leave feeling oriented, contained, and supported, even if processing continues over time.
Phase 8: Re-Evaluate & Refine
We revisit progress regularly, adjust targets and pacing, and collaborate on next steps, whether that’s continuing EMDR, shifting focus, or pausing when it feels complete.
Wildhaven Therapy | Trauma Therapy in Oakland, CA
Questions About EMDR Therapy
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a trauma-focused therapy that helps people process distressing experiences that continue to affect them in the present. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating taps, while working with memories, emotions, beliefs, and body sensations connected to an experience. People often seek EMDR for PTSD, complex trauma, childhood trauma, relationship trauma, anxiety, and other concerns connected to difficult past experiences.
How is EMDR therapy different than talk therapy?
Talk therapy often focuses on understanding experiences through conversation, while EMDR combines attention to distressing memories with bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating taps. You remain aware of the present while working with memories, emotions, beliefs, and body sensations connected to past experiences. For some people, this can help reduce the distress and reactivity associated with those experiences.
Is EMDR therapy safe?
EMDR is a well-researched psychotherapy and is generally considered safe when provided by an appropriately trained clinician. We prioritize EMDR preparation and resourcing, pacing, and nervous system regulation so the work unfolds at a speed your system can handle, especially with nervous system overwhelm, ADHD, or complex trauma histories. You remain in control throughout the process, and sessions can be paused or adjusted at any time.
Can EMDR work for complex trauma or CPTSD?
Yes. EMDR can be very effective for trauma, complex trauma and CPTSD when it is paced thoughtfully and adapted to your nervous system. Rather than focusing on single events alone, EMDR for complex trauma often works in layers, addressing patterns, beliefs, and emotional responses that developed over time. Preparation, resourcing, and integration are key parts of the process, and the work is always collaborative and guided by what feels safe and manageable for you.
How do I know if EMDR is right for me?
EMDR may be a good fit if you feel stuck, easily triggered, or overwhelmed by reactions that do not seem to match the present moment. It is often helpful when you have gained insight in therapy, but still feel the past showing up in your body, emotions, or connections. Many people seek adult EMDR therapy for concerns connected to trauma, grief, and stress, including grief and complicated loss, anxiety, depression, anger, or patterns rooted in earlier experiences. A trauma therapy consultation can help determine whether EMDR feels like the right next step, and whether individual EMDR sessions, weekly EMDR therapy, extended EMDR sessions, or therapy intensives fit best.
Have questions about therapy or intensives?
EMDR Therapy | Oakland, CA
What EMDR Can Change at the Root
Everyone’s healing process is different. Some people notice changes relatively early in EMDR, while for others, especially when working with complex or long-term trauma, meaningful change unfolds more gradually as different experiences and patterns are addressed over time. Over time, you may notice:
- Relief from overwhelm, overthinking, and constant bracing
- Ease from intrusive thoughts, memories, or emotional flashbacks
- Better sleep, with more calm and fewer nightmares
- Feeling more connected and safe in your relationships
- A sense of moving forward, instead of feeling stuck in your life
The past may not be forgotten, but after EMDR, the present has more room to be lived.
Wildhaven Therapy
How To Get Started
Ready for therapy that goes deeper?
There are a few gentle ways to start:
Click the button below to schedule a complimentary 20-minute matching call and see if Wildhaven Therapy feels like the right fit.
Call or email us with any questions or to share what kind of support you’re looking for.
Rates range from $175-$300 per session. We are an out-of-network provider; many clients use out-of-network benefits or a superbill for partial reimbursement.
Looking for therapy? Complete the form below, and our Client Care Coordinator will reach out within one business day to help you find the right fit.
Interested in joining our team? Please email hello@wildhaventherapy.com