EMDR Therapy in Santa Cruz, CA
In-person in Soquel. Online throughout California.
Some memories don't file themselves properly. Years pass and the thing still arrives with the same heat it had the day it happened, as if no time had gone by at all.
That's not a character flaw or a failure to move on. It's how the brain stores experience it couldn't process at the time. EMDR is designed to finish that filing.
I'm Christopher Greer, LCSW, EMDRIA-certified, practicing in Soquel and online across California.
What EMDR Actually Involves
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing uses bilateral stimulation while you hold a target memory in mind. The theory is that this engages a processing mechanism similar to what happens during REM sleep, letting the memory integrate rather than stay stuck in its original raw form.
In practice, it looks stranger than it sounds and feels less intense than most people fear.
You don't narrate the memory in detail. You notice what comes up — images, sensations, thoughts — during short sets of bilateral stimulation, and then we check in. Then another set. What surfaces often isn't what you expected, and that's usually where the work happens.
The measurable result is typically that the memory stays but the charge drops. You can think about it without your body reacting as though it's happening now.
Who Can Benefit from EMDR?
EMDR therapy is highly effective for:
PTSD and trauma from single events (accidents, assaults) or complex/ongoing experiences (childhood adversity, abuse, relational harm)
Anxiety disorders, panic, phobias, or chronic worry
Depression, low mood, or feelings of worthlessness tied to past distress
Performance anxiety, grief, or complicated loss
Substance use challenges when linked to underlying trauma (dual diagnosis support)
It’s especially helpful when talk therapy feels stuck or when symptoms persist despite other efforts.
A Realistic Timeline
EMDR is delivered in eight phases, and the ones people don't expect are at the front.
Phases 1–2: History and preparation. We map what we're working with and build your capacity to tolerate the processing. Skipping this is the single most common way EMDR goes badly. Depending on what you're carrying, this can be two sessions or eight.
Phases 3–6: Processing. The bilateral work. Single-incident trauma can resolve in 6 to 12 processing sessions. Complex or developmental trauma takes considerably longer, because there isn't one memory, there's a network.
Phases 7–8: Closure and reevaluation. Every session ends stabilized. We revisit targets to confirm the change held.
Anyone promising you a fixed number of sessions before meeting you is guessing.
When EMDR Isn’t The Move
Worth saying plainly, because pages like this usually don't.
EMDR isn't a first step for someone in an acute crisis, actively unstable, or without enough current support to process safely. It can be complicated by active substance use, significant dissociation, or certain medical conditions. And some people simply don't respond to it, which is not a failure on their part.
If it isn't right, I'll tell you and we'll do something else. I use several approaches; EMDR is one tool, not the whole practice.
More on my broader approach on the trauma therapy page →.
Practice Details
Location: 5905 Soquel Dr., Ste. 350, Soquel, CA 95073
Online EMDR: Delivered via secure video using visual or auditory bilateral stimulation. Effective for many clients, though some prefer in-person for processing work.
Sessions: 50 minutes standard; processing sessions may run longer by arrangement.
Training: Trained in 2019 by the Personal Transformation Institute
Common Questions About EMDR
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No. This is EMDR's main advantage over exposure-based approaches. You need to hold the memory in mind; you don't need to narrate it.
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No. You're awake, oriented, and able to stop at any point. EMDR is not hypnosis, though the two get confused constantly.
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Single-incident trauma can shift in a handful of processing sessions. Complex trauma is measured in months. Be skeptical of anyone quoting numbers before an assessment.
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Yes, with adapted bilateral stimulation. Research supports remote delivery, and it makes EMDR accessible to clients well outside Santa Cruz County.
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Often tired, occasionally emotional for a day or so as processing continues. We build in closure at the end of every session so you don't leave mid-process.
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It's recommended for PTSD in treatment guidelines from major bodies including the World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.