EMDR Therapy in Salt Lake City
For the memories that are over but not finished.
EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is a structured therapy for trauma. While you hold a hard memory in mind, gentle side-to-side eye movements or taps help your brain reprocess it, so the memory stays yours but stops setting off the old alarm.
What the work looks like
I'm Sarah Mohanavilasam, a licensed clinical social worker, and EMDR is one of the main tools I use for trauma here in Salt Lake City. If the name has kept you at arm's length, here's the plain version: what it is, who it helps, and how a session really goes.
What EMDR actually is
A structured way of helping your brain finish processing a memory that got stuck, without narrating the whole story out loud.
Most memories get "filed away" and stop grabbing you; raw ones keep firing like it's happening again. EMDR moves a memory from raw to filed.
A session, start to finish
- We don't start with the hard part. The first stretch is just getting comfortable and learning a few simple ways to calm yourself, ones you can use anytime, not only here
- When you're ready, you bring one memory to mind. You don't have to tell the whole story or live through it again; you just hold it there while we work
- You follow my hand with your eyes, or feel a gentle tap on each knee, one and then the other, in short bursts
- After each burst we stop, and I ask what you noticed: a picture, a feeling, a stray thought. We keep going a little at a time, until the memory stops feeling so charged
The name, word by word
Eye Movement
The side-to-side part: your eyes follow my hand, or gentle taps alternate left and right.
Desensitization
A clinical word for the memory softening until you can hold it calmly.
Reprocessing
Your brain files the memory where it belongs: in the past, finished.
Who it tends to help
- One thing that hit hard: a crash, a death, a diagnosis, the day life split into before and after
- Something older that never really healed, and still gets to you whenever it comes up
- Things you'd never call trauma out loud: a breakup you never got over, a reaction you can't talk yourself out of
And if part of you is already thinking that wasn't bad enough to count — that's usually a sign it's worth talking about. Trauma therapy is the fuller picture.
You don’t have to sort this out on your own.
Book a free callor call (801) 513-3505 · Mon–Fri, 9 AM–6 PM MTThe research
What the evidence says
EMDR is recommended for post-traumatic stress by both the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association, and trials consistently find it lowers trauma symptoms, often without the person having to describe the event in detail.
- Guidelines for the Management of Conditions Specifically Related to StressWorld Health Organization · WHO · 2013
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in AdultsAmerican Psychological Association · APA · 2017
From the journal
Your therapist
LCSW · Licensed in Utah · No. 13989909-3501
MSW · University of Utah
Verified on Psychology TodayQuestions clients ask
The things people ask first
What does an EMDR session actually look like?
You stay awake, seated, and in control the whole time: no hypnosis, and no need to narrate the whole story out loud. After some preparation, I'll ask you to hold a specific memory in mind while you follow something with your eyes or feel a gentle tap, left and right, in short bursts. We pause often, and you set the pace.
How many sessions does EMDR take?
It varies more than a single number can capture. A single, recent event can move in a handful of sessions; something older or layered takes longer. Either way, the first sessions aren't processing; they're preparation, getting you steady before we open anything. I'll give you a real sense of the arc once I know what we're working with.
Does EMDR work over telehealth?
It can, and some people respond well to it by video. Whether remote bilateral stimulation and trauma processing are the right call depends on the person, their environment, safety and stability, and the material we're working with. For some people, especially early on or with heavier material, being in the room together is steadier, and I'll say so if I think it. We can start whichever way suits you and adjust as we go.
How much does EMDR therapy cost?
Sessions are 53 minutes and $150, the same as any individual session. We can sort out insurance coverage on the free call, before anything is booked.
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