“I’ve been carrying this for years. I keep talking about it but nothing changes.”
At Main Line Counseling Partners, Christina Bair, LCSW offers EMDR therapy in person at our Bryn Mawr office and via telehealth for clients in Pennsylvania, California, Florida, and Delaware.
Here is a video of a conversation between EMDR specialist, Christina Bair, LCSW, and Co-Owner Laura Silverstein, LCSW.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s an evidence-based therapy that helps your brain do what it’s actually designed to do process and file away difficult experiences, so they stop running your life.
You may have heard about the eye movements and wondered: is this actually real, or is it like hypnosis?
It’s completely real and nothing like hypnosis. The Veterans Association and the World Health Organization both recommend EMDR for PTSD. Decades of research support its effectiveness for trauma, anxiety, depression, phobias, and more. You are fully present and in control throughout every session.
Here’s how Christina explains it:
“What we’re doing during EMDR is working what’s called the working memory in your brain. We’re asking you to hold a memory while also giving your brain something else to focus on — a side-to-side movement or a sound. Your brain only has so much space in working memory, so over time that memory becomes less distressing. It gets stored back in your long-term memory as a less disturbing event.”
Think of it as giving your brain a chance to finally file things where they belong.
EMDR has been studied and proven effective for people dealing with:
You don’t have to have experienced a dramatic trauma to benefit. Many of Christina’s clients come in with something quieter — a belief about themselves they’ve never been able to shake, or a feeling that follows them everywhere and they can’t explain why.
Talk therapy is valuable but it has a limitation. Talking about a traumatic experience doesn’t always resolve the feeling it left behind. Many people find themselves re-telling the story without feeling any better.
EMDR approaches the same material differently. Rather than asking you to relay exactly what happened, it asks your brain to problem-solve the feeling you’re carrying from it.
As Christina puts it:
“A lot of people report, ‘I go in and talk about my trauma, but I don’t really feel any better when I leave.’ EMDR’s focus isn’t on just relaying what happened — it’s on letting your brain process the feeling that came from it.”
EMDR tends to be a strong fit if you:
Not sure which approach is right for you? Christina offers both traditional therapy and EMDR, and she’ll help you figure out what makes sense based on where you are.
This is the question most people are afraid to ask — and it’s the most important one.
Christina has done EMDR herself. Here’s what she and her clients actually experience:
Before processing begins, the first few sessions focus on getting to know you — what brings you in, what you’d like to change, and what you’re ready to work on. There’s no pressure to dive into anything before you feel prepared.
Containment comes first. A common fear is: if I open this door, will I fall apart? Christina takes that seriously. Before any processing begins, she helps clients build internal resources — ways to manage and contain difficult feelings so they can leave a session and go pick up the kids, go to work, and move through their day.
“I always say: based on what you’re talking about, here are a few different roads we could take. Where would you feel comfortable going? It’s their journey, not mine. I’m just there to help facilitate it.”
During processing, you’ll focus on a specific memory, thought, or belief while following a side-to-side stimulus a moving light, an audio tone through headphones, or small handheld vibrating tappers. This runs for about 30 to 40 seconds at a time.
Then Christina will pause and ask: What did you notice?
You might notice a memory surface, a thought shift, a physical sensation change. Whatever comes up strange or ordinary you simply report it. Christina isn’t putting ideas in your head. She’s making space for your brain to do its own work.
“A lot of people report a sense of calm while they’re in the middle of it — which can be really nice for people who haven’t felt that in a long time.”
Perfectionists, take note: Many clients ask, Am I doing this right? You are. There’s no wrong way to do EMDR.
There’s no one-size answer, and Christina will be honest with you about what she thinks based on what you share in your first sessions.
Some people come in with one specific thing to work on a single event, a stuck belief and feel meaningfully better after a handful of sessions.
Others have experienced a lifetime of difficult events, or have complex PTSD, and may benefit from longer-term work.
What’s consistent: EMDR tends to move faster than traditional talk therapy for trauma. You’re not re-telling the story indefinitely you’re letting your brain process and resolve it.
Intrusive thoughts can make it hard to sleep, go to work, and function in every day life. For this reason, may people opt for a longer, more comprehensive type of EMDR therapy, called an EMDR Intensive.
An EMDR Intensive might be right for you if you want to take a day off work and carve out time to prioritize your health and healing. Your therapist will start the intensive by helping you feel comfortable and clarifying your goals. Then before you leave, you’ll have the opportunity to do some of the bilateral movement. With traditional work, the client would generally not start the deeper treatment until session three or four.
Sort of and there are healthy limits.
For day-to-day stress management, there are legitimate self-directed tools: bilateral stimulation apps, YouTube videos with bouncing-ball stimulation, bilateral audio playlists on Spotify. Even a walk outside is bilateral stimulation left foot, right foot which is part of why it clears your head.
For trauma, complex PTSD, or anything that feels significant: please work with a therapist. Attempting to process deep trauma without professional guidance can reopen things without providing the containment and resources needed to work through them safely.
As Christina says: “Great for managing day-to-day stress not a replacement for working through bigger things with someone who can guide you.”
Butterfly hug tapping video: https://youtu.be/
Grounding 5,4,3,2,1
Christina Bair is a licensed clinical social worker with specialized training in EMDR therapy. She has completed EMDR training herself . She’s not just a practitioner, she’s someone who has experienced the process firsthand.
Christina offers both traditional talk therapy and EMDR, and often works collaboratively with other therapists when a client’s existing provider refers them for focused trauma work.
She is available for:
Christina works with individuals dealing with trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, phobias, and stuck thought patterns. She also sees clients who are already working with a couples therapist or individual therapist elsewhere and want to add focused EMDR work alongside their existing care.
Yes. The Veterans Association and World Health Organization both recommend it for PTSD. It’s been studied extensively for trauma, anxiety, depression, phobias, and more — with strong results across all of these.
No. You are fully awake, aware, and in control throughout. Your therapist is not placing suggestions in your mind — quite the opposite. EMDR is designed so the therapist puts as little as possible into the process, and trusts your brain to do the work.
Not necessarily. Some EMDR protocols are called “blind to therapist” meaning you can process a traumatic event without disclosing the details to Christina. This is one of the things that makes EMDR accessible for experiences that feel too difficult or private to describe out loud.
Yes. Christina regularly works with clients who have an existing individual or couples therapist. She collaborates closely with other providers to make sure the work is coordinated and complementary.
That’s exactly what an initial session is for. Christina offers both traditional therapy and EMDR — you can start with a conversation, and together you’ll figure out the best path forward.
Christina has current availability for in-person sessions in Bryn Mawr and telehealth sessions in Pennsylvania, California, Florida, and Delaware.
Main Line Counseling Partners is a team of highly trained clinicians providing relief from depression, anxiety, addiction, OCD and relationship problems.
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