I Use What Works. That’s Why I Now Use EMDR.

Piper Harris, APC NCC
May 3
3 min read

Why I Chose to Use EMDR in My Evidence-Based Practice

There’s a moment in therapy that never gets old—when a client says, “I feel different. It doesn’t hurt the same anymore.”

That moment recently came during a trauma session with a woman who had carried a heavy emotional burden for years. We were working through a deeply painful memory. I taught her a simple technique known as butterfly tapping—a bilateral stimulation (BLS) tool often used in EMDR therapy. After just two sessions, she said the memory no longer overwhelmed her. She still remembered the details, but the charge had shifted. The panic, the emotional flooding—it was gone.

We continued to assess her distress levels using the tools I’ve built into my data-driven system, and the results were clear: her memory had been reconsolidated. Her brain no longer treated it as a live threat. And she felt free.

That’s why I now offer Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) at Untangled Mind.

Real Clients, Real Relief

EMDR isn’t magic. It’s science. And it’s powerful.

I’ve seen its impact not just in trauma work, but in unexpected places—like grief and anxiety.

Another client, a woman navigating life alone after years as a caregiver to her spouse with Alzheimer’s, uses bilateral stimulation during our sessions to ease the waves of loneliness and loss. It’s not about erasing the grief. It’s about helping her move through it without being overtaken.

And a client who has long struggled with anxiety and skin-picking behaviors is now able to slow her response when the tension builds. Instead of reacting automatically, she now has space to choose. She’s not at the mercy of her body anymore.

That’s the kind of transformation that EMDR makes possible.

Why I Chose EMDR

For years, I’ve used exposure-based strategies in my work—particularly within Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Exposure is one of the most effective tools for resolving anxiety, trauma, and even grief. But let’s be honest: it’s hard. It takes time. It can be draining—for both client and therapist.

What EMDR offers is exposure with speed. It taps into the brain’s natural capacity to reprocess and reorganize memories—often in a fraction of the time. The bilateral stimulation engages both hemispheres of the brain, allowing us to access and release stuck emotional material more efficiently.

Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR, once said:

"The past affects the present even without our being aware of it. The goal of EMDR is to forge the connections between the brain’s memory networks, enabling resolution and integration."

She later remarked that if she could rename it, she would call it Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing—because it's not just about the eyes. It's about motion. It's about creating shifts in what felt immovable.

It’s Not Just Talk. It’s Change.

Freud, often cited for psychoanalysis and dream interpretation, actually pioneered early versions of bilateral stimulation—using hand movements and light to tap into unconscious material. He was searching for access points. EMDR delivers them.

And in the words of the Stoic Epictetus:

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

EMDR changes the reaction by helping the brain finally stop reacting.

The Untangled Mind Approach

At Untangled Mind, EMDR isn’t used in isolation. It’s part of the Untangled Mind Pathway™, my structured, measurable system that integrates:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Neuropsychotherapy
EMDR and bilateral regulation
Ongoing assessments to track real progress

I don’t believe in passive therapy. I believe in healing that works. That means bringing in the right tools at the right time—and EMDR has become one of those tools.

So whether you’re carrying trauma, navigating grief, or stuck in cycles of anxiety—EMDR might be the next step. Not for quick fixes. But for lasting relief.