EMDR Therapy · Boca Raton, FL
Therapy that reaches what talking about it can't.
EMDR therapy in Boca Raton, Florida, for women working through trauma, anxiety, and the patterns that traditional talk therapy alone has not resolved.
Training & supervision
EMDR-trained
EMDRIA-approved basic training curriculum
AEDP-trained
AEDP Institute
IFS-informed
Internal Family Systems
MS, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Master's level clinician
Practicing under qualified supervision
Supervised by Karin Witte, LMHC #MH13488
Currently practicing at Genesis Counseling, Boca Raton.
What is EMDR therapy in Boca Raton?
EMDR therapy in Boca Raton is an eight-phase clinical protocol that uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain process and integrate trauma, anxiety, and stuck patterns that talk therapy alone has not resolved. Hannah Lee, RMHCI, offers EMDRIA-approved-basic-trained EMDR for women in Boca Raton, FL and via secure telehealth statewide, under qualified Florida supervision.
What EMDR actually is
Not a single technique.
EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — was developed in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro and is now one of the most rigorously researched approaches to trauma processing in clinical use.
It is not a single technique or a quick trick. It is a structured, eight-phase protocol: history-taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and re-evaluation. The "eye movements" part is the most visible piece, but it sits inside a much larger frame of clinical work.
The science behind why EMDR works is still actively studied. The practical observation is that it allows the brain to process and integrate experiences that have stayed stuck — that come back as nightmares, intrusive memories, or disproportionate present-day reactions — and to file them as past rather than present-tense threats.
What EMDR can help with
PTSD & acute trauma
The original use case. EMDR has decades of evidence for single-event PTSD — accidents, assaults, medical trauma. Often works faster than talk-only approaches.
Anxiety with deeper roots
Anxiety that didn't respond to standard treatment often has experiential roots that EMDR can reach. Performance anxiety, social anxiety, panic with no clear cause.
Relational patterns that won't shift
The same dynamic that keeps appearing in different relationships. Often points to attachment experiences EMDR can help resolve at the implicit level.
Low self-worth & stuck negative beliefs
"I'm not enough", "I'm too much", "I have to earn love" — beliefs that you can challenge cognitively but still feel as true. EMDR works at the level where they actually live.
The eight phases
EMDR is a process, not a session.
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01 · History-taking
We map your history, current life, and what you want from the work. Several sessions, sometimes more.
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02 · Preparation
We make sure your nervous system has the resources to do the work safely. This is the phase that matters most and is most often skipped elsewhere.
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03 · Assessment
We identify the specific memory or pattern to work with and set the targets.
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04–06 · Active processing
Desensitization, installation, and body scan. The "eye movements" piece. Several sessions, sometimes many.
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07–08 · Closure & re-evaluation
Closing each session safely and re-checking what's shifted between sessions. We move on when the material is resolved, not when we run out of time.
Common questions about EMDR
Will you make me relive the trauma?
No. EMDR works with how memories are stored, not with how detailed your verbal description is. You stay in control of what you share, and we move at the pace your nervous system can hold.
How many sessions will it take?
Everyone is different. Some people working through a single-event trauma notice meaningful shifts in around 6-12 sessions once preparation is complete; others take longer. Complex or developmental trauma is paced work over a longer timeframe. We talk through expectations during the consult.
Is it weird? Does the eye movement thing feel strange?
It can feel novel the first time. Most clients find it surprisingly natural by the second or third session. Some prefer tapping or audio bilateral stimulation instead of eye movements; we have options.
Can we do EMDR over telehealth?
Yes. EMDR has been adapted for telehealth and works well for many people. We discuss the format during the consult based on what you're working on.
An invitation
Want to see if EMDR is the right fit?
The free 15-minute consultation is the easiest place to start. You can describe what you're working with, and I'll give you an honest read on whether EMDR is likely to help.
No commitment. I'll reply by email with a few times.
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