EMDR Therapy in San Diego

Maybe you understand exactly why you react the way you do, and it still doesn't stop the reaction. A tone of voice, a look, a memory that surfaces out of nowhere, and suddenly you're flooded, frozen, or bracing for something that happened long ago. Many people come to EMDR after years of insight that never quite reached the part of them that still feels unsafe.

I'm Dr. Laura-Beth Fitzpatrick, a licensed clinical psychologist and EMDRIA Certified Therapist™. I offer EMDR therapy in person in Bankers Hill, San Diego, and online throughout California and Hawai'i. Much of my work is with Gen Z and Millennial adults healing from difficult childhoods and early attachment wounds.

What EMDR can help with

EMDR is one of the most thoroughly researched therapies for trauma and PTSD. It's recommended by the World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). It helps with much more than a single frightening event. I often use it with people working through:

• Complex trauma and childhood trauma
• The lasting effects of a difficult or unstable childhood: patterns in relationships, a harsh inner critic, or a body that stays on high alert even when life looks fine on the outside
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Depression and low mood
• Painful or intrusive memories
• Grief and loss

You can learn more about the research from EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association.

How EMDR works

When something overwhelming happens, especially when we're young, the memory can get stored in a raw, unfinished form. Years later it can still set off the same fear, shame, or body reactions, as if it were happening now. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps your brain finish processing those memories.

In a session, you briefly bring a memory to mind while following gentle side-to-side eye movements or tapping. This dual attention keeps one foot in the present, so you can revisit what happened without being swept back into it. You don't need to talk through every detail. After each short set, you simply notice what comes up, whether that's a thought, a feeling, an image, or a sensation in your body.

You'll still remember what happened, but the memory stops carrying the same charge. The old beliefs attached to it, like "I'm not safe" or "It was my fault," often soften into something truer.

What to expect

EMDR follows a structured, eight-phase approach, so you're never dropped into the deep end. We start by getting to know your history and choosing what to work on together. That usually means the past experiences at the root of what you're struggling with, the present-day situations that trigger it, and the skills and beliefs you want to carry forward. Next comes preparation, where you build grounding and calming skills you can use in session and in daily life. Only when you feel ready do we begin processing, one memory at a time. You're in control throughout and can pause at any moment. Each session ends with time to settle so you leave feeling steady, and we check in regularly on what's shifted and what comes next. You can read more about that preparation on my Getting Ready for EMDR page.

EMDR for complex and developmental trauma

Complex trauma usually isn't one event. It builds up in layers: years of feeling unsafe, unseen, or on your own, often in the relationships that were supposed to protect you. EMDR can help with this kind of trauma, but it calls for a more careful and tailored approach than a single-incident protocol.

I've completed advanced training in EMDR for complex developmental trauma with Susie Morgan, LMFT, an EMDRIA Approved Trainer and Consultant, at Precision EMDR Academy. She was also my consultant for my EMDRIA certification. In practice, that shapes how we work together:

• Making sure you're ready. Before we process anything, we build steadiness and strengthen what's already working in you, your resilience and inner resources.
• A clear plan. We map how today's symptoms and triggers connect to the earlier experiences underneath them, then decide together what to work on first. We don't wander through your history at random.
• Working with attachment blocks. Sometimes processing gets stuck because of old attachment patterns, like a part of you that learned it wasn't safe to need anyone. I've trained specifically in recognizing and gently working through these blocks, rather than pushing past them.
• A pace that stays manageable. I watch for signs of overwhelm or shutting down and adjust as we go.

The result is EMDR that's structured and precise, but never one-size-fits-all.

EMDR as part of depth-oriented therapy

EMDR is one part of how I work, not the whole of it. I integrate it with psychodynamic, attachment-based, parts-based (IFS), and somatic approaches. So we don't only target a single memory. We also look at the relationship patterns and beliefs it shaped, and at what you need to feel more secure going forward. You can read more about my approach to individual therapy, including support for college and graduate students.

In person in San Diego or online

I see clients in person at my office in Bankers Hill, San Diego, and online through a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. EMDR works well in both settings. Online sessions are available throughout California and Hawai'i. You'll need a private, quiet space and a stable internet connection, and we'll plan together how to stay grounded if something feels like too much.

EMDR intensives

If weekly sessions don't leave enough room to work all the way through a difficult memory, an intensive gives us longer, uninterrupted time. Options are an extended 120-minute session, a half-day of about 3 hours, or a full day of about 6 hours. Learn more about EMDR intensives and whether one might suit you.

Common questions