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Integrated Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

Effective, transformative, science-backed psychotherapy for all ages in Westchester, NY

​​Feeling stuck in a loop of anxiety, depression, or trauma? You've tried so many different approaches to gain control of your mental health and healing, but you still feel stuck and weighed down by persistent anxiety, fatigue, lack of joy and a dysregulated nervous system.

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At Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, located in the heart of Westchester, NY, we offer specialized EMDR therapy to help individuals of all ages overcome anxiety, chronic stress and traumatic life experiences to achieve lasting relief and peace.

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Imagine you're able to:​​​

  • Sleep soundly, free of nightmares and racing thoughts that wake you up.

  • Wake up feeling rested and ready to take on the day.

  • Find simple joys that spark genuine laughter again.

  • Stand tall, confident, and hopeful and taking on your days with ease.

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EMDR Therapy works by:

  • Reprocessing, not reliving: You won't be forced to relive past trauma in all its raw intensity.  Our expert EMDR Therapist use a safe and controlled process to guide your mind and body through difficult memories, helping to integrate them into a healthier narrative.

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  • Balancing healthy levels of anxiety: EMDR identifies and dismantles the triggers that fuel your anxieties, empowering you to face the world with newfound calm and control.

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  • Lifting depression's fog: EMDR therapy can help you uncover and work through the experiences, or lack of experiences, that have resulted in you feeling numb, shut down and disconnected. The result is feeling more connected to your body and your surroundings and able to live a joyful life.

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  • Healing the wounds of PTSD: EMDR equips you to process and integrate overwhelming memories and emotions associated with trauma, reclaiming your mind and body, and stepping back into the driver's seat of your life.

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Our team of expert EMDR therapists in Westchester, NY, have undergone extensive additional training and are well versed in using EMDR therapy for a wide variety of issues. Some of these specialties include, but are not limited to:

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We love working with motivated and dedicated clients through the transformative process of EMDR therapy, helping them address and heal from deep-rooted trauma, anxiety, and PTSD. Our clients appreciate the personalized, evidence-based care we provide, ensuring effective and lasting results. If you’re ready to invest in your mental health and commit to meaningful change, our experienced therapists are here to support you every step of the way.

What does EMDR Therapy help with?

Benefits of EMDR Therapy in Westchester, NY

  • Reduced emotional distress

  • Improved coping skills

  • Enhanced self-awareness

  • Increased control and sense of empowerment

  • Increased relaxation

  • No longer getting triggered when reminded of the trauma(s)

  • Better sleep quality

  • Improved quality of relationships

  • Ability to confidently set boundaries

  • Improved athletic performance

  • Increased meditative state

  • Improved focus

  • Improved creativity

  • Ability to live in the moment

  • Being able to regulate your emotions

  • Improved physical health

Frequently Asked Questions about EMDR Therapy

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an 8 phase, 3-prong form of psychotherapy that helps people heal from trauma, neglect and other distressing life experiences that are contributing to present day symptoms, including anxiety, panic attacks, etc.  It works by using eye movements, sounds, or taps to help your brain process and store traumatic memories properly in your brain.


EMDR Therapy helps connect present day mental health symptoms to:

  • ​Stressful, disturbing life experiences that happened in the past

  • Distressing, upsetting experiences that didn't happen, but should have (this is common for individuals with childhood trauma / CPTSD)​

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You don’t have to know what the disturbing experience is to benefit from EMDR therapy.  This can be uncovered during phase 1 of EMDR with your therapist.  Click HERE to see if you're symptoms are trauma related with our free quiz.

 

While the standard protocol for EMDR is based on a structured 8 phase, 3 prong approach, modifications can easily (and should!) be made to meet every individual's unique needs.​​​

What are the 8 Phases of EMDR Therapy?

  1. History-Taking: Understanding your background and the issues you want to address with EMDR therapy.

  2. Preparation / Resourcing: Learning about how EMDR therapy works and learning, as well as practicing different techniques and coping skills that will help improve your ability to tolerate emotional distress. This step is crucial for ensuring success in your reprocessing sessions (phases 4-6 of EMDR therapy).

  3. Target Assessment: Identifying specific memories, experiences, time periods and/or emotions to target with desensitization of EMDR therapy.

  4. Desensitization: Using eye movements to reduce the emotional charge of memories (this is the phase that most individuals associate with being "EMDR therapy", even though all of the phases are part of the comprehensive treatment).

  5. Installation: Reinforcing positive associations with the identified experience to replace negative association with the memory that you have been working on. This is done with more eye movements or tactile "buzzers" as they're usually referred to as.

  6. Body Scan: Checking for any remaining physical tension related to the memories and clearing out any that's still there.

  7. Closure: Ensuring you feel calm enough and stable before leaving the session and reviewing any homework or skills to practice that will support your progress in between sessions.

  8. Reevaluation: Reviewing your progress in between EMDR therapy sessions and addressing any new issues to potentially add to your emdr treatment plan.

 

*These phases do not have to go in this exact order

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The 3-Prong Approach:

  • Past: Addressing traumatic memories that are the root cause(s) of present day distress

  • Present: Desensitizing current stressors and triggers.

  • Future: Developing and enhancing skills for future challenges.

How does EMDR Therapy Work?

Stressful life experiences that have not been fully processed are stored differently in the brain than traumatic experiences that have been processed.  The emotions, thoughts and sensory perceptions, which were appropriate at the time of the trauma, can be triggered throughout the person’s life at times when there is no actual danger present.  This results in symptoms such as anxiety, chronic pain, and difficulty sleeping.  Many clients with a history of trauma report feeling "stuck" between knowing and feeling.

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Our EMDR Therapy process at Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling in Scarsdale, NY involves:

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  • Establishing a connection with you - the therapeutic relationship is the strong foundation for any type of treatment!

  • Making a list of your current symptoms, such as anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, etc.

  • Identifying what is currently triggering those symptoms (even if that trigger isn't obvious to you!)

  • Briefly connecting those triggers (without going into any details) to stressful experiences from the past that are contributing to the present day symptoms 

  • Identifying how you wish you could respond to those triggers in the future (even if it seems impossible now)

  • Teaching you strategies and skills to prepare your nervous system and increase your ability to tolerate the reprocessing phases of EMDR.

  • Focusing on those distressing memories (this is part of the reprocessing stage), while using bilateral stimulation, to help you digest the memory and connect to new, more adaptive insights, emotions and physical sensations.  Your brain does this automatically, which means you just have to sit back and observe and let your nervous system do the work.

How is EMDR different from Talk Therapy?

EMDR is quite different than talk therapy. This may feel weird to some, especially those who have been in traditional talk therapy in the past. With our EMDR Therapists, you do not have to come up with “stuff” to talk about at each session. In fact, that can be counterproductive to the EMDR Therapy process.

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EMDR is helpful when just talking about something is not enough. Talking is a very cognitive practice; however, just because we "know" something in our minds does not mean our body gets the message. Feeling stuck is a common experience for survivors of trauma because they might know cognitively that they are safe, but their body does not feel safe.

 

​​For some individuals, talk therapies that only focus on managing symptoms can actually make them feel like there is something wrong with them or like an identified patient.  Using the trauma-informed lens, EMDR therapy shifts the focus from your symptoms to your experiences, which can help you understand yourself on a much deeper level and release the stress that is trapped in your nervous system.

What is an EMDR Reprocessing Session Like (phases 4-6 of EMDR Therapy)?

During a reprocessing session, the client calls to mind the disturbing issue or event, what was seen, felt, heard, thought, etc., and what thoughts and beliefs are currently held about that event.  The therapist facilitates the directional movement of the eyes, while the client focuses on the disturbing material, and the client just notices whatever comes to mind without making any effort to control what information comes up.

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Each person will process information uniquely, based on personal experiences and values.  Sets of eye movements are continued until the memory becomes no longer has a potent charge and is associated with adaptive beliefs, emotions and sensations.

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During EMDR reprocessing the client may experience intense emotions or sensations, but by the end of the process, most people report a great reduction in the level of disturbance and a release of the emotional and physical discomfort.

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It's important to note that the reprocessing phases of EMDR therapy are only one aspect of EMDR.  Many clients may ask, "why are we not doing EMDR therapy?", not realizing that we are probably just in a different phase of the EMDR treatment plan.  If you're not sure where you are in your EMDR therapy process, ask your therapist! We are here to help and make you as comfortable as possible with the process,

Can EMDR Therapy be done virtually via telehealth?

Yes! EMDR therapy is able to be done virtually through online counseling sessions (telehealth).  Our therapists at Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling are currently licensed in the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida and can conduct virtual EMDR therapy sessions with individuals residing in those states/

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We use a secure, HIPAA compliant platform to ensure confidentiality.  

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We then use a variety of methods, depending on your preference & comfort level, to administer the bilateral stimulation (BLS).​

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For more information on How to do EMDR Virtually, click here.

How Long does EMDR Therapy Take?

We recommend 1-3 sessions for the therapist to understand the nature of the problem and to decide if EMDR therapy is an appropriate treatment.  During those 1-3 sessions, one of our EMDR trained therapists will also discuss EMDR therapy more fully and provide an opportunity to answer questions about the method.  Once the therapist and client have agreed that EMDR therapy is appropriate, the EMDR process may begin.

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​The type of problem, life circumstance, and the amount of previous trauma may also influence how many sessions are necessary.  EMDR therapy may be used within a standard "talking therapy", as an adjunctive therapy with a separate therapist, or as a treatment all by itself.  Other factors that influence how long EMDR therapy may take include:

  • Your goals for treatment

  • The current state of your nervous system and ability to tolerate distress

  • The amount of coping skills you have or need to develop

  • Your level of motivation and commitment to the process

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Examples of How Long EMDR Therapy Can Take


Symptom Reduction: Focusing on a specific memory might take approximately 8-12 sessions, though this can vary.

 

Symptom Resolution for Dissociative Clients: This can take significantly longer (potentially 1-2 years) due to the need for extensive preparation to tolerate reprocessing phases.

 

Every client’s experience is unique, and after the initial 1-3 sessions, your therapist can provide a more definitive estimate of the treatment duration. Our ultimate goal at Peaceful Living MHC is for clients to graduate from EMDR therapy, as we value solution-focused, time-limited treatment.  We want you to feel better and not need us forever!​

Not sure if EMDR therapy is right for you?

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