EMDR & Trauma Therapy in Santa Monica & Online Throughout California
Healing isn't about forgetting what happened. It's about helping the mind and body integrate the experience and recognize that what happened is no longer happening.
I work with individuals navigating trauma, relational and developmental wounds, anxiety, shame, and experiences that continue to affect how they feel, relate, and move through the world. Drawing from EMDR, psychodynamic, attachment-based, and somatic approaches, we can work toward greater integration, self-understanding, and a sense of safety within yourself.
In-person trauma therapy and EMDR in Santa Monica & West Los Angeles, and online throughout California.
The People I Tend to Work With
I support individuals who are carrying experiences that continue to affect how they see themselves, relate to others, or experience their bodies—even when they have done their best to move forward.
Some people come to therapy with a clear understanding that they have experienced trauma. For others, the connection is less obvious. You may notice anxiety, shame, difficulty trusting others, hyperindependence, emotional reactivity, disconnection from your body, recurring relationship patterns, or a persistent sense that something from the past is still shaping the present.
I work particularly well with people who are interested in understanding the deeper roots of their experiences rather than simply managing symptoms. This may include unpacking attachment wounds, relational or developmental trauma, difficult childhood experiences, experiences of rejection or abandonment, or patterns of self-protection that once served an important purpose but may no longer feel necessary.
You do not have to have one defining traumatic event to benefit from trauma-informed therapy. Sometimes what shapes us most deeply is what happened repeatedly, what we didn't receive, or what we learned about ourselves and relationships along the way.
What We Can Explore Together
Relational & Developmental Trauma: Our earliest relationships can influence what we learn about safety, trust, closeness, boundaries, and our own worth. We can explore the ways these experiences may continue to show up in your relationships and your relationship with yourself.
Complex Trauma: Complex trauma can develop through prolonged or repeated experiences of adversity, particularly within relationships. Therapy can create space to understand patterns of emotional regulation, self-protection, shame, attachment, and connection that developed in response.
Anxiety & Hypervigilance: Trauma can leave the nervous system feeling as though it needs to remain prepared for what might happen next. We can explore anxiety, hypervigilance, emotional reactivity, difficulty relaxing, and other responses that may have once helped you feel safe.
Shame & Self-Worth: Traumatic and relational experiences can become intertwined with beliefs about who we are and what we deserve. Therapy can help create space to examine shame, self-criticism, perfectionism, and deeply held beliefs about your worth with greater compassion.
Attachment & Relationships: The ways we learned to experience closeness, distance, dependence, and vulnerability can follow us into adult relationships. We can explore attachment patterns, fear of abandonment, people-pleasing, codependency, hyperindependence, difficulty trusting, and other relational patterns.
Body & Nervous System: Trauma is not only something we remember. It can also be experienced through the body. We may pay attention to physiological responses, tension, activation, numbness, impulses, and other somatic experiences as part of understanding and regulating what you're carrying.
A Depth-Oriented Approach to Trauma Therapy
Trauma therapy is not simply about revisiting the past. It is about understanding how the past continues to shape the present—and creating greater freedom in how you experience yourself, your relationships, and your life.
My approach is trauma-informed and person-centered, drawing from several therapeutic traditions and adapting our work to your individual needs. I integrate EMDR, psychodynamic and depth-oriented psychotherapy, attachment-based and relational approaches, and somatic work depending on what feels clinically appropriate.
EMDR
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a trauma-focused approach that can help the brain process experiences that remain emotionally or physiologically unresolved. EMDR does not require you to repeatedly tell every detail of a difficult experience. Instead, it uses bilateral stimulation alongside focused attention to support the processing and integration of distressing memories and experiences.
Psychodynamic & Depth-Oriented
We can explore the deeper patterns beneath what brings you to therapy, including unconscious patterns, defenses, early experiences, and beliefs about yourself and others. Understanding where these patterns come from can create greater choice in how you respond to them.
Attachment & Relational
Our relationships can be both the source of some of our deepest wounds and an important part of healing. Attachment-based work helps us understand how your relational history may influence trust, intimacy, boundaries, vulnerability, and connection today.
Somatic
Because trauma can be held and expressed through the body, somatic awareness can become another pathway toward understanding and regulation. We may notice what happens in your body when you feel activated, disconnected, unsafe, or overwhelmed.
Moving at the Pace of Safety
Trauma therapy does not have to mean immediately revisiting the most painful parts of your history.
Safety, stabilization, and trust come first. Before beginning trauma processing, we can develop resources for emotional regulation, establish a strong therapeutic relationship, and make sure you have enough support to engage with difficult material without becoming overwhelmed.
EMDR may be one part of this process, but it is not something I believe should be rushed or used simply because trauma is present.
Together, we can determine what approach makes the most sense for where you are now.
What you're moving toward
Trauma therapy isn't about erasing your history or becoming someone different. It can be about developing a different relationship with what you've lived through, and with yourself.
Our work may support:
Greater self-understanding
Recognizing how past experiences continue to influence your emotions, relationships, and sense of self.
A greater sense of safety within yourself
Learning to recognize and respond to your body's signals with greater awareness and compassion.
Less shame and self-criticism
Beginning to understand protective patterns without judging yourself for having developed them.
More freedom in your relationships
Creating greater choice around boundaries, vulnerability, intimacy, trust, and connection.
Greater emotional regulation
Developing the capacity to experience difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed, shut down, or disconnected.
Integration rather than avoidance
Making room for difficult experiences to become part of your story without allowing them to define your present.
EMDR & Trauma Therapy in Santa Monica & Online Throughout California
In-Person Trauma Therapy in Santa Monica & West Los Angeles
I offer in-person trauma therapy and EMDR from my office in Santa Monica, serving individuals throughout the Westside and surrounding Los Angeles communities.
Online Trauma Therapy Throughout California
I also offer secure online therapy throughout California. Depending on your needs, circumstances, and readiness for trauma processing, we can determine whether telehealth is an appropriate setting for our work.
Frequently Asked Questions
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EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a trauma-focused therapy that helps support the processing and integration of experiences that remain emotionally or physiologically unresolved. It uses bilateral stimulation alongside focused attention to help the brain process distressing memories and experiences.
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EMDR can be helpful for people working through trauma and other experiences that continue to feel emotionally or physically present. It is not necessarily the right approach for everyone. We can talk about your history, current circumstances, and goals and determine together whether EMDR is appropriate.
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No. Trauma can include both single overwhelming events and repeated or relational experiences. Some people come to therapy with a specific traumatic memory, while others are working with longstanding patterns connected to childhood, relationships, attachment, or chronic adversity.
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Yes. EMDR can be incorporated into work with relational and developmental trauma when clinically appropriate. We may also draw heavily from attachment-based, psychodynamic, and relational approaches to understand how earlier experiences continue to influence relationships and your sense of self.
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No. Trauma therapy does not require you to disclose every detail of your history. We can work at a pace that feels manageable and focus on what is clinically useful for your goals and healing process.
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Before beginning trauma processing, we will spend time getting to know one another, understanding your history and goals, establishing safety, and developing resources for emotional regulation and stabilization. We will then determine whether and when EMDR makes sense for you.
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Yes. Anxiety, hypervigilance, shame, perfectionism, emotional reactivity, and difficulties with self-worth can all be connected to past experiences. We can explore both the underlying patterns and the ways they continue to affect your life in the present.
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EMDR may be possible through telehealth for some clients, depending on clinical appropriateness and individual circumstances. We can discuss whether online EMDR is a good fit during an initial consultation.
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How to contact me:
info@therapywithsloane.com
(424) 788-0885
1460 7th St #300
Santa Monica, CA 90401