Individual Therapy · New York

EMDR Therapy in New York for When Understanding It Has Not Been Enough

EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is a structured, trauma-focused therapy that works with how a distressing memory is stored, not just how it is discussed. For some people, that is the difference between knowing why something still hurts and no longer being run by it.

At Peace Love Wellness, EMDR is never the whole of the work. It sits inside a relational, trauma-informed approach — offered when it fits, paced to what your nervous system can actually hold, and set aside when something else would serve you better.

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You may be here because

You have done years of therapy, you can explain your patterns clearly, and the feeling underneath them has not moved
A specific memory still lands in your body — a tightening, a flush of shame, a sudden shutdown — even though you know it is over
You have read that EMDR helps with trauma and you want to know what it actually involves before you commit to it
Talking about what happened has started to feel like rehearsing it rather than resolving it
You are wary of anything that sounds like a technique, and you want to know it will be done carefully

You do not need a diagnosis of PTSD to be a candidate for EMDR, and you do not need to have decided on it before reaching out. Part of the first conversation is working out whether it fits at all.

What EMDR can help with

Specific memories that still carry a physical charge years later
Trauma responses that persist after you already understand where they came from
Beliefs that feel true in the body but false on paper — I am not safe, it was my fault, I am too much
Intrusive images, flashbacks, and post-traumatic stress symptoms
Single-incident trauma such as an accident, assault, medical event, or sudden loss
Nervous-system reactivity — startle, bracing, shutdown — that talk alone has not settled

What EMDR actually is

EMDR is an eight-phase protocol developed in the late 1980s and now one of the more extensively studied treatments for post-traumatic stress. It is recognized as an effective trauma treatment by the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association, among others.

The mechanism is still debated, but the working idea is this: some experiences do not get filed away the way ordinary memories do. They stay live — with the original images, body sensations, and conclusions attached. EMDR pairs brief, focused attention on that memory with bilateral stimulation, usually guided eye movements, and the memory tends to lose its charge and settle into the past where it belongs.

What it is not is hypnosis, and it is not a way of erasing what happened. You stay awake, oriented, and in control throughout. What changes is how much the memory still costs you to carry.

Read about our trauma-informed approach

What a session actually involves

The early phases are not reprocessing at all. They are history-taking, working out what to target, and building enough internal stability that difficult material can be approached without flooding you. For some people that preparation takes a couple of sessions. For others it takes considerably longer, and that is not a delay — it is the work.

When reprocessing does begin, you hold a memory in mind while following a moving cue with your eyes, then pause and report whatever surfaced. There is no requirement to narrate the event in detail. Sets are short, and you can stop at any point.

Sessions are often somewhat longer than a standard hour so that a set can be opened and closed within the same appointment.

Where EMDR fits — and where it does not

EMDR is strongest on discrete, identifiable memories. It is less of a fit as a first move when the difficulty is diffuse — chronic relational patterns, long-standing attachment wounds, or a sense of stuckness with no clear origin. Those often need relational work first, sometimes instead.

It is also not always the right starting point if you are in acute crisis, in the middle of active substance use, or currently unsafe. In those situations, stabilization comes first, and we will say so plainly rather than proceeding.

We would rather tell you EMDR is not indicated than sell you a protocol you did not need.

Compare trauma-informed and trauma-focused care

Who offers EMDR at Peace Love Wellness

EMDR here is offered by Cameron Eshgh, LMHC-D, the practice founder, who has completed EMDR basic training. He is trained in EMDR rather than certified — certification requires additional consultation hours beyond basic training, and we would rather state that precisely than blur it.

Cameron's caseload is currently full and he is accepting waitlist requests. If EMDR is what you are looking for specifically, tell us when you reach out — we will be straight with you about timing rather than routing you to a clinician who does not offer it.

Read Cameron's full profile

Online EMDR across New York

EMDR adapts well to telehealth. Bilateral stimulation can be delivered on screen or through self-administered tapping, and the research on remote EMDR has been broadly encouraging. For some people, doing this work from their own space makes it easier to feel safe enough to begin.

Sessions are held on a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform for clients located in New York.

Learn more about online therapy

Insurance-friendly care

EMDR is billed as psychotherapy rather than as a separate service, so if your plan covers therapy with us it generally covers sessions in which EMDR is used. We commonly work with Aetna, Cigna, United HealthCare, Anthem, NYSHIP, MagnaCare, Carelon, and other plans. Coverage varies by plan and clinician, and we help clarify options before you begin.

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EMDR therapy FAQ

Questions we often hear from people considering EMDR at Peace Love Wellness.

What is EMDR therapy?

EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is a structured, eight-phase trauma therapy in which you briefly hold a distressing memory in mind while following a moving cue with your eyes or receiving other bilateral stimulation. The aim is to reduce the emotional and physical charge the memory still carries, so it settles into the past rather than staying live in the present. It is recognized as an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress by the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association.

Do you offer EMDR at Peace Love Wellness?

Yes. EMDR is offered by Cameron Eshgh, LMHC-D, the practice founder, who has completed EMDR basic training. Our other clinicians work relationally and trauma-informed but do not offer EMDR. Cameron is currently full and accepting waitlist requests, so if EMDR specifically is what you are looking for, please mention it when you reach out so we can be clear with you about timing.

Is Cameron EMDR certified?

Cameron has completed EMDR basic training. He is not EMDRIA-certified — certification requires additional consultation hours and case review beyond basic training. We state this precisely because the two are often used interchangeably and they are not the same credential.

Will I have to describe my trauma in detail during EMDR?

No. EMDR requires far less verbal narration than most people expect. You need to be able to bring the memory to mind and report what surfaces — an image, a sensation, a thought — but you do not have to tell the story in full, and you can stop a set at any point. For some people that is a large part of the appeal.

How many EMDR sessions does it take?

It varies more than any honest answer can compress. A single recent incident may reprocess in a handful of sessions once preparation is complete. Complex or repeated trauma generally takes considerably longer, and the preparation phase alone can take several sessions. Anyone who quotes you a fixed number before knowing your history is guessing.

Can EMDR be done online?

Yes. Bilateral stimulation can be delivered on screen or through self-administered tapping, and research on remote EMDR has been broadly encouraging. All therapy at Peace Love Wellness is offered online for clients located in New York. We do pay closer attention to stability and pacing when reprocessing happens remotely.

Does insurance cover EMDR in New York?

Generally yes, because EMDR is billed as psychotherapy rather than as a separate service — if your plan covers therapy with us, it typically covers sessions in which EMDR is used. We commonly work with Aetna, Cigna, United HealthCare, Anthem, NYSHIP, MagnaCare, Carelon, and other plans. Coverage varies by plan and clinician, and we help clarify your options before you begin.

If insight has stopped being the thing that helps

Tell us what you have already tried and what has not shifted. We will be honest with you about whether EMDR is the right tool, whether relational work should come first, and what the timing actually looks like.

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