EMDR Therapy
at 3 Rivers Counselling
For the things that haven't moved, no matter how hard you've tried
Something happened — or maybe a lot of things happened over a long time — and even though part of you knows it's in the past, it doesn't always feel that way. You might find yourself reacting in ways that surprise you. Feeling flooded when something small triggers a bigger response. Lying awake with thoughts that won't settle. Carrying something you can't quite put into words, but that shows up anyway, quietly shaping how you move through your days.
You've probably tried to make sense of it. Maybe you've talked it through, journaled, read the books. And while understanding helps, sometimes understanding isn't enough to make the body and the nervous system catch up.
That's where EMDR can make a real difference.
What is EMDR therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, well-researched therapy that supports the brain and body in processing experiences in a new way.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's a structured, extensively researched therapy that works with the brain's natural capacity to heal — not just the story you tell about what happened, but the way that experience is still being held in your nervous system.
When something overwhelming occurs, the brain's normal processing can stall. The memory gets stored differently — with the original intensity, emotion, and body sensation still intact. EMDR helps gently re-engage that processing so the memory can settle into the past where it belongs, and stop feeling so present.
It uses bilateral stimulation — typically eye movements or tapping — while you hold the memory in mind. It can sound unusual before you try it. Most people are surprised by how it actually feels in practice.
What Can EMDR Help With?
EMDR is best known for trauma and PTSD, and it is highly effective there. But the range of what it supports is broader than most people realize:
-
Trauma, PTSD, and complex PTSD (CPTSD)
-
Anxiety, panic, and chronic worry
-
Attachment wounds and relationship patterns that keep repeating
-
Grief and loss — including complicated grief
-
Depression rooted in past experience
-
Experiences that feel difficult to move past, even when you can't fully name why
-
Performance anxiety
-
Chronic stress and stress-related physical symptoms
EMDR can be used with adults, teens, and children.
EMDR at 3 Rivers Is Relational — Not Just Structured
This matters enough to say directly: EMDR has a protocol and a structure, but that doesn't mean your sessions will feel clinical or rigid.
At 3 Rivers, EMDR happens within a real therapeutic relationship. There will be sessions where we follow the EMDR plan. There will also be sessions where something hard happened last week and that's what needs attention — and we'll follow that instead. You might have check-in appointments, slower weeks, sessions that feel more like processing together than working through a protocol.
We are still the same collaborative, warm clinicians we are in any other kind of therapy. We believe therapy should be something you can genuinely look forward to, even on the days when it asks something real of you.
You don't have to share every detail of your experience. The work can go at a pace that actually feels safe.
Our EMDR Therapists
Several members of the 3 Rivers team are trained and certified in EMDR, including therapists with specific experience in trauma, attachment, anxiety, and neurodiversity. You can read more about each of them on our Team page.
Not sure which therapist is the right fit? Start with a free 15-minute consultation — that's what it's for.
Virtual EMDR Therapy Across Canada
EMDR is available both in-person in St. Stephen, New Brunswick and virtually across Canada. Research and clinical practice have confirmed that EMDR translates well to virtual delivery — many clients actually find the comfort of their own space supports the work.
If you're outside New Brunswick and wondering whether virtual EMDR could work for you, the answer is yes. We've supported clients across the country this way.
Ready to Get Started?
You don't need to have everything figured out before you reach out. If something in this page resonated, that's enough.
Book a Free 15-Minute Consult — no commitment, just a conversation.
Book Online if you're ready to get started.
Questions first?
Send us a message or give us a call 506-636-2557.
EMDR therapy available in-person in St. Stephen, NB and virtually across Canada.
