Finding Healing Through EMDR Therapy
What Is EMDR Therapy and How Does It Work?
Hello, I’m Jessica Nemecz, a mental health therapist for almost 20 years and CEO at Two Roads Wellness Clinic®. One of the greatest joys of my career has been specializing in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, a powerful and compassionate approach to healing. I provide EMDR both individually and in group settings, and I’ve seen firsthand how life-changing it can be.
I was first introduced to EMDR back in 2007 during a Level 1 training. I can still picture myself sitting in a giant hotel ballroom with nearly a hundred other therapists.
At the time, EMDR had been around since the late 1980s, but it was just starting to gain traction in our area. Honestly? I left that first training feeling confused. I was a brand-new therapist, still learning the basics of practice, and being introduced to EMDR in such a “firehose” way felt overwhelming.
Two Principles of EMDR
What stuck with me, though, were two simple but profound principles:
We have to face our painful memories to heal from them. (“Name it to tame it.”)
We can replace negative beliefs about ourselves with positive ones.
Even without EMDR, that second principle is something we can all relate to. So many of us carry heavy negative beliefs, “I’m not good enough,” “I’m unlovable,” “I’m not safe.” These beliefs keep us stuck, and learning how to shift them can open the door to freedom.
In 2015, I returned for another round of training, this time with more experience under my belt. It was still intense, my brain felt like mush by the end of the week! EMDR training has a way of surfacing your own unresolved struggles, which can be tough. I leaned heavily on what we call resourcing (things like guided imagery, grounding practices, nervous system regulation techniques, and prayer) to support myself. Looking back, I believe that experience deepened my compassion for my clients. Healing is rarely easy, but it is always worth it.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of walking hundreds of clients through the EMDR process. Not everyone is ready for EMDR, and that’s okay. But for those who are, the results can be nothing short of amazing.
Let me share an example (not based on any real client, but a composite story that represents what I’ve seen).
A Story of Healing through EMDR
Imagine a woman who survives a serious car accident. She’s badly injured and, afterward, she struggles to sleep. She wakes with nightmares, feels panicked in cars, and startles easily. Over time, her anxiety grows so strong that she avoids driving altogether. Eventually, this fear begins to ripple into every part of her life, she stops going out, loses her job, and feels like her world has shrunk.
Desperate for change, she reaches out to us at Two Roads Wellness Clinic®. Together, we begin EMDR therapy.
EMDR follows eight phases, starting with building safety and practicing resourcing skills. For her, this means learning calming techniques, grounding imagery, and ways to regulate her nervous system.
When she feels ready, we begin to process her most distressing memory: the car accident. Her negative belief is “I’m not safe.” On a scale of 0–10, where 10 is the highest level of disturbance, she rates her distress at a 10. She feels it in her stomach and shoulders.
During the desensitization phase, we use bilateral stimulation (in her case, handheld “tappers”) to help her brain reprocess the memory. Over multiple sessions, she notices the intensity begin to decrease. Eventually, that memory no longer floods her body with fear, it feels neutral.
Now, we move into installation. She replaces “I’m not safe” with a new, empowering belief: “I can take steps to keep myself safe.” At first, this belief only felt a “2” on a scale of 1–7. But by the end, it feels like a solid “7”, completely true.
She ends her final session breathing deeply, her body calm and her face lit up with relief. Nightmares fade. She begins to drive again, at first with a supportive friend, then independently. She uses her resourcing skills in real life, keeping her nervous system steady when challenges arise.
She takes her life back.
And as her therapist, I can’t help but smile too. I didn’t heal her, she did. I was simply honored to walk beside her on the journey.
Why EMDR Works
According to the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA), EMDR helps people reprocess distressing experiences so that traumatic memories no longer hold the same emotional charge. In essence, EMDR helps the brain do what it’s designed to do, heal.
It is an evidence-based treatment for trauma and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it’s also effective for anxiety, depression, grief, and many other struggles.
The beauty of EMDR is that it doesn’t erase memories, it allows us to remember without reliving. Instead of being stuck in the past, clients can move forward with resilience, peace, and hope.
Final Thoughts on EMDR Therapy
If you’ve ever felt weighed down by painful experiences, negative beliefs, or trauma that seems to control your life, I want you to know that healing is possible. EMDR may not be the right fit for everyone, but for many, it offers a path toward freedom and wholeness.
At Two Roads Wellness Clinic®, I feel so grateful to witness the courage of clients who step into this process. It’s not easy, but it’s incredibly powerful.
If you’re curious about EMDR therapy, I’d be honored to talk with you. You don’t have to walk this road alone.
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About Two Roads Wellness Clinic®
Two Roads Wellness Clinic® is an integrative wellness clinic. We truly believe in whole-person wellness and see more than just a list of symptoms.
At Two Roads Wellness Clinic®, we want you to experience the difference of personalized health care. We’re an integrative health clinic offering a vast array of services including, mental health treatments such as EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), family therapy, medication management, primary care, integrative nutritional support, personalized health reports and precision medicine with DNA testing, weight management program, life coaching, massage therapy, physical therapy, infrared sauna services, community education and outreach, and more.
The Two Roads Wellness Clinic® team of therapists, medical and nutrition staff, massage therapists, life coaches, physical therapists, and emotional support animals are ready to help you find an integrated approach to your wellness. To schedule an appointment, visit our contact page to get started at one of our convenient locations in Champaign, Danville, Mahomet or Covington, or learn more about Online Therapy and Medical Sessions.
Like the Robert Frost poem our name is based on, we want to help you find the path that makes a difference in YOUR life.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by.
And that has made all the difference.”Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”
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