Somatic and Attachment-Focused EMDR
Your Mind Knows It’s Over. Your Body Doesn’t.
You know you’re safe now. You know this person isn’t the person who hurt you. One mistake doesn’t make you a failure, and you’re allowed to say no.
And then a look, a tone of voice, criticism, conflict, intimacy, or feeling ignored happens, and your body responds before you can think. Your chest tightens. Your stomach drops. You freeze, shut down, panic, or want to escape.
Part of you knows you’re in the present.
Another part is reacting to something much older.
EMDR Can Help the Past Feel More Like the Past
EMDR is a trauma therapy that helps the brain process experiences that still feel unfinished.
My approach is Somatic and Attachment-Focused EMDR, which means the memory is one part of the work. We pay attention to your body, emotions, attachment history, beliefs, and the protective parts of you that developed around what happened.
We might notice beliefs such as “I’m not safe,” “I’m too much,” “my needs don’t matter,” or “I have to handle everything myself.”
You know those beliefs aren’t true and still feel them somewhere deeper. In the S.A.F.E. EMDR approach, that’s where we focus.
Trauma Lives in More Than the Story
Developmental, relational, and sexual trauma can shape what your mind and body expect from closeness, conflict, vulnerability, and relationships.
You learned to watch everyone carefully, hide your needs, stay in control, become fiercely independent, or make sure everyone else is okay.
Those responses often developed for very good reasons.
That’s also why understanding your history intellectually doesn’t always change how your body responds.
We Won’t Force the Process
This work is collaborative. You’ll remain in control. We’ll build enough grounding and stability before processing difficult material, and we’ll pay attention to what your system is ready for.
If part of you doesn’t want to go near a memory, I don’t see that as resistance. I get curious about what that part is protecting.
Over time, healing begins to look surprisingly ordinary: remembering something without your body reacting as strongly, setting a boundary without panic, tolerating conflict without feeling abandoned, or realizing a painful memory feels like something that happened rather than something you’re still experiencing. You don’t have to forget what happened for it to stop feeling like it’s happening now.
I’m a trained Somatic and Attachment-Focused EMDR therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and I’m continuing advanced training toward full EMDRIA certification. Get in touch for a free consultation to talk about whether this approach is right for you.
Let’s meet for a free consultation, and we’ll start from where you are.
- Call(707) 953-0790
- Emailesmith@woodsongtherapy.net
- Office659 Cherry Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404