Trauma and EMDR
Trauma and EMDR.
Traumatic experiences can leave lasting emotional, psychological, and physical effects that interfere with daily life, relationships, and overall well-being. Whether trauma stems from a single distressing event or from ongoing experiences over time, healing is possible. Using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidence-based therapy recognized for its effectiveness in treating trauma, I help clients process painful memories in a safe and structured way.
What we work on
The shape of the work.
- Single-incident and complex trauma
- Childhood adversity
- Loss and grief
- Medical and birth trauma
- Accidents and assault
- PTSD symptoms
- Anxiety rooted in past events
- Bilingual support throughout
How the work is sequenced
Stabilization comes first.
Most people arrive worried about one thing: that therapy will mean describing the worst hours of their life out loud, in detail, to a stranger. That is not how this works. EMDR does not require you to narrate the whole story, and Maria will not ask you to. What she needs is enough of the outline to know what you are carrying.
Before any of that is touched, the first stretch of the work is building capacity learning what your own early warning signs are, having two or three reliable ways to come back down, and knowing that you can stop a session at any point. Stabilization sounds like a formality and it is actually the whole foundation. Opening something difficult without it is how people get overwhelmed and quietly decide therapy is not for them.
Trauma also does not always announce itself as trauma. It often shows up years later, in a life that has finally become stable enough for the body to let it surface: sleep that stopped working, a temper that does not match the situation, numbness in a relationship that is objectively fine. Sometimes what brings someone in is a present-day problem, and the older injury underneath only becomes visible a few sessions later.
Sessions run in person in Weston or by secure video anywhere in Florida, in English or Spanish. Maria is EMDR certified and has been doing this work for thirty years, long enough to be honest that no therapist can promise an outcome, and confident enough to tell you plainly whether she thinks this is the right treatment for what you are describing.
Areas served
EMDR and trauma therapy sessions in Weston, FL and nearby Broward communities, Weston, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Plantation, Sunrise, Cooper City, and Miramar. Secure telehealth is available across the state of Florida.
Areas served across Broward
Trauma therapy & EMDR, city by city: Fort Lauderdale, Miramar, and Plantation. In-person in Weston or secure telehealth across Florida.
Related reading: how EMDR therapy actually works · anxiety therapy when trauma drives the spiral · couples counseling for trauma in relationships · answers to the questions people ask first. Learn more about how Maria works, her background, and session rates, or reach out.
Common questions
A few specifics.
What is EMDR, exactly?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, an evidence-based therapy that helps the brain process memories that are still stuck. You stay in control the whole way.
Will I have to relive what happened?
No. EMDR is not about telling the story over and over. We work in carefully paced segments, and only when you're ready.
How long does EMDR take?
It varies by person and history. Some single-incident work moves quickly; longer-standing trauma takes more time. Pace is yours to set.
Do you work with complex / childhood trauma?
Yes. Maria works gently with complex trauma, building safety and resources before any processing begins.
Ready to take the next step?
English or Español · in person in Weston or telehealth across Florida
Contact Maria