emdr Therapy for Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health · Redondo Beach, CA
Helping Mothers Process the Past and Feel Less Overwhelmed by What They’ve Been Through
For mothers experiencing postpartum anxiety or depression, birth trauma, pregnancy loss, fertility challenges, and other difficult experiences.
When Difficult Experiences Stay With You
A difficult birth, pregnancy loss, fertility struggles, or experiences with postpartum anxiety or depression can stay with you long after the hardest times are over. Even as life moves forward, certain memories, thoughts, or situations can still bring up emotions that surprise you.
Some mothers replay parts of their birth experience or lie awake worrying about what could go wrong. Others notice they get emotional during conflicts, feel anxious in situations that never used to bother them, or snap at loved ones and wonder why. Parenting can feel harder when these experiences still carry so much emotional weight.
You may notice:
✓ Replaying painful memories, conversations, or birth experiences over and over
✓ Feeling anxious, overstimulated, or unable to fully relax
✓ Becoming overwhelmed during parenting, conflict, or stressful moments
✓ Feeling disconnected from yourself after pregnancy, birth, or postpartum experiences
✓ Carrying guilt, shame, panic, or intrusive thoughts that are difficult to turn off
✓ Feeling like you're always bracing for something bad to happen
Many women have shared that they thought they would be past this by now. Instead, they feel exhausted from trying to push through something that continues to affect their relationships, parenting, or daily life.
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EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This therapy approach helps your brain and nervous system process experiences that still feel painful or overwhelming, even long after they happened.
Many women begin EMDR because postpartum anxiety or depression, birth trauma, pregnancy loss, fertility challenges, or other painful experiences are still affecting their daily lives. They may find themselves replaying memories, feeling constantly on edge, or becoming overwhelmed in ways they don't fully understand.
Sometimes understanding what happened isn’t enough. You might know you’re safe, but your nervous system still responds as though the experience is happening again. EMDR helps your brain and nervous system process these experiences so they don’t feel as intense. The memories don’t disappear, but they usually stop feeling like they’re happening in the present.
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Many women start EMDR feeling frustrated because they still feel anxious, overwhelmed, easily triggered, or stuck replaying painful memories.
Over time, many women notice:
✓ Painful memories don't feel as emotionally intense
✓ Anxiety and intrusive thoughts don't take over as often
✓ Stress during parenting or conflict feels easier to manage
✓ Guilt and self-blame begin to soften
✓ They don't feel like they're bracing for something bad to happen all the time
✓ They feel more present with themselves, their relationships, and everyday life
Healing doesn't mean forgetting what happened. Those experiences remain part of your story, but they often stop carrying the same emotional weight. Many women tell me they can remember what happened without feeling pulled back into it every time they think about it.
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Many people worry that EMDR means reliving painful memories or having to talk about every detail. That isn’t the goal.
In our first sessions, we’ll get to know each other, talk about your experiences, and build tools to help you feel grounded before working through tough memories. We’ll go at a pace that feels right for you, and you’ll always be in control. There’s never any pressure to move faster than you want.
When you’re ready, EMDR uses things like eye movements or tapping while we work through experiences that still feel emotionally stuck. Many women are surprised to find out they don’t have to share every detail for EMDR to help.
My Approach to EMDR Therapy
My approach is developmentally informed, shaped by years of clinical work with children and families, and training through Robyn Gobbel's Baffling Behaviors Institute.
“Whether you come to my Redondo Beach office or meet with me online from anywhere in California, I want therapy to feel like a place where you can talk openly about what you’ve been carrying.”
I don’t believe you need to be fully “ready” before we begin — I want you to feel a sense of safety and hope before we work with anything difficult. My approach is relational and trauma-informed: together we get curious about what’s underneath the anxiety, overwhelm, or difficult memories. I don’t see your emotions and reactions as problems — I see them as important clues about how your nervous system has adapted and what you need now.
I’m trained in EMDR through the Touchstone Institute, with a specialization in maternal and perinatal mental health — including postpartum anxiety and depression, birth trauma, fertility challenges, and pregnancy loss. We’ll use EMDR or nervous-system-regulation strategies together, based on what you need.
EMDR Treatment ProcessWhat Working Together Looks Like
One
Initial Consultation
A free 15-minute consultation to talk about what’s been difficult, ask any questions about EMDR, and see if we’re a good fit.
Two
Building Safety and Understanding Your Story
Early sessions are about getting to know each other — what brought you here, what you’re facing, and any lasting effects. Before we work with a tough memory, we’ll build grounding tools and resources together, moving forward at your pace.
Three
EMDR Therapy and Ongoing Support
We decide together when EMDR feels right. Some sessions focus on EMDR, others on coping skills, working through challenges, or simply checking in. You stay in control, and we adjust continuously — there’s no set timeline; we check in regularly to keep the pace matched to your needs.
FAQs
EMDR Therapy Questions
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EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This therapy helps your brain and nervous system process experiences that still feel distressing long after they happened.
Many women begin EMDR because postpartum anxiety or depression, birth trauma, pregnancy loss, fertility challenges, or other painful experiences are still affecting daily life. They may find themselves replaying memories, feeling constantly on edge, or becoming overwhelmed in ways they don't fully understand.
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Many mothers are surprised by how much past experiences can still affect them, even years later. Over time, they often notice they spend less time feeling stuck in fear, guilt, intrusive thoughts, or always on edge.
The memories don't disappear, but they often no longer carry the same emotional intensity. Many mothers find they can think about what happened without feeling pulled back into it each time.
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No. EMDR does not make you relive painful experiences or move faster than you want. We will go at a pace that feels right for you, and you will always be in control.
Before we work through difficult experiences, we will spend time building resources to help you feel grounded and supported. The goal is to help your brain and nervous system process what you have been through in a way that feels safe.
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Intrusive thoughts are common during pregnancy and postpartum, and they can feel scary or confusing. Many mothers worry something is wrong with them or feel afraid to talk about what they are experiencing.
EMDR can help when intrusive thoughts are connected to anxiety, birth trauma, or other experiences that continue to affect your daily life.
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No. Many women feel relieved to learn that EMDR does not require sharing every detail of what happened. Some experiences are hard to put into words, and there is no pressure to tell your story in any certain way.
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Yes. EMDR can help mothers experiencing postpartum anxiety or depression, especially when anxiety, panic, intrusive thoughts, or difficult experiences continue to affect daily life. I have specialized training in maternal and perinatal mental health, including postpartum anxiety and depression.
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Postpartum anxiety and depression don't always go away after the newborn stage. Some women continue struggling for months or even years. EMDR can help when these experiences are still affecting your relationships, parenting, or how you feel about yourself.
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Yes. A difficult birth can leave lasting emotional effects, even when others expect you to move on. Some women replay parts of the experience, feel anxious about future pregnancies, or notice strong emotional reactions that are difficult to explain.
EMDR can help those memories feel less overwhelming, so they do not have the same hold on your daily life.
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Pregnancy loss, miscarriage, infertility, and fertility treatments can bring grief, sadness, anxiety, and feelings that are difficult to talk about. EMDR gives you space to process those experiences without pressure and in a way that feels manageable.
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Talking about what happened can be incredibly helpful, and many women already know why they feel anxious or overwhelmed. The hard part is that understanding does not always stop the racing thoughts, panic, or strong emotional reactions that keep coming up.
EMDR helps your brain and nervous system process these experiences so they don't feel as intense. The goal isn't to erase what happened, but to help those memories become part of your story without affecting you in the same way.
Let's Connect!
Ready to Feel Less Weighed Down by the Past?
Let’s talk about what you’ve been carrying and whether EMDR feels like the right next step.