Online EMDR Therapy in California
You've done the talk therapy. You can explain your childhood, name your patterns, and narrate exactly why you react the way you do. And yet, the same thing still lights you up. A tone of voice, a memory, a bad day, and your body is right back there. Knowing the story hasn't set you free from it. If you're looking for online EMDR therapy in California that reaches deeper than talking, you're in the right kind of place.
What EMDR actually is
EMDR is a structured therapy that helps your brain reprocess painful memories so they stop hijacking your present. It uses bilateral stimulation, like guided eye movements or tapping, while you hold a difficult memory in mind. Over time, that memory loses its grip. The event stays in your past where it belongs, instead of running your nervous system today.
It is not vague, and it is not woo. EMDR is one of the most researched approaches for healing trauma and reducing the emotional charge of painful memories. It works on a different mechanism than talk therapy, and that difference is the whole point.
Who this is for
This work fits high-achieving women who look fine on paper and feel stuck underneath. You have the career, the family, the reputation for holding it together. Inside, your mind won't stop, and old trauma still shapes how you move through your days.
You might be here because:
You want to stop feeling stuck in the same reactions.
You feel ready to heal from the past, not just describe it.
You're overwhelmed by life and tired of being sad and worried all the time.
You want to know yourself as more than what happened to you.
Perinatal trauma is a growing focus of this practice. Many parents come to us looking for EMDR for postpartum trauma after a difficult birth or overwhelming early months.
This is not the right fit for everyone. Care for OCD, eating disorders, active substance use as the primary concern, serious mental illness, and young children is referred elsewhere, to people who specialize in exactly that.
What sessions actually look likeIt starts with a free 15-minute consultation call. That's a chance to hear your voice, answer your questions, and feel out whether this is a match, no pressure to commit.
The first one or two sessions are about history and goals. You talk, I listen, and we build the relationship that makes the hard work possible. Then we decide on a plan together before moving into EMDR or another approach that fits you.
EMDR sessions run 60 minutes. Standard psychotherapy sessions run 45 minutes. Everything happens over secure video, so you can do this from your own home anywhere in California.
Therapy here is relational, casual, and genuine. I'm not just nodding along. I'm calm when you need grounding and direct when you need a push, mess and magic included.
What actually changes
Healing does not only happen in the room. One hour a week is the anchor, not the whole job. I'll ask you to practice skills and notice things between sessions, because that's where a lot of the real shift lives.
With EMDR, that shift can come faster than people expect. I've watched real, visible change happen in short periods with clients who spent years talking without relief. People often seek out this work when they want relief that goes deeper than just talking through the same story again.
Clients describe the work as transformational, safe, different, and unexpected. The most common thing they say is that this is the first therapist who actually gets it. That comes from lived experience as much as training, and I bring both into the room.
Frequently asked questions
-
Yes, EMDR works well online. Bilateral stimulation can be done through guided eye movements on screen or self-tapping, and the research supports virtual EMDR as effective. Many clients find home feels safer and more grounded than an office, which helps the work go deeper.
-
EMDR may not be the starting point if you're in active crisis, dealing with untreated psychosis, or need stabilization first. That's not a rejection, it's sequencing. We often build coping and safety skills before reprocessing begins, and the consultation call helps us figure out where to start.
-
Sometimes, through out-of-network benefits. This is a private-pay practice, with EMDR sessions at $245 and standard sessions at $185. Superbills are provided so you can seek reimbursement from your insurer if you have out-of-network coverage. Cost is the most common reason people hesitate, so the fees are shared upfront, no surprises.
-
It depends on what you're working through, and single-incident trauma often resolves faster than years of layered experiences. One of the most common questions we hear is how many sessions it usually takes to notice a difference. We check in along the way so you always know where things stand.
Working with a licensed, EMDR-trained therapist
Lizette Martinez is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California (LCSW #118960) through the Board of Behavioral Sciences. She is EMDR trained through EMDRIA, holds an MSW from UC Berkeley, and is an ASIST Certified Master Trainer in suicide intervention.
If you feel ready to stop being stuck and heal from the past, the next step is small. Book a free 15-minute consultation, and we'll take it from there, together.