Woodinville, WA, USA
Healing From Emotional Abuse
EMDR Therapy for Emotional Abuse, CPTSD & Postpartum Depression
You are not crazy. What happened to you was real — and you deserve to heal. I am an EMDR-certified trauma therapist serving Washington, Oregon, and Arizona.
What Is Emotional Abuse?
Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior designed to control, manipulate, and diminish another person. Unlike physical abuse, it leaves no visible marks — which makes it easy to minimize or dismiss, even by the person experiencing it. Emotional abuse can happen in romantic relationships, marriages, parent-child relationships, friendships, and workplaces. Common forms include gaslighting, constant criticism, isolation from loved ones, manipulation, intimidation, and unpredictable mood swings that keep you walking on eggshells. Over time, emotional abuse rewires how you see yourself — and how safe you feel in the world.
Signs You May Have Experienced Emotional Abuse
Many people don't recognize emotional abuse until they are well out of it — or until a therapist helps them name what they lived through. You may have experienced emotional abuse if you:
- Constantly question your own memory or perception of events
- Feel like you can never do anything right
- Walk on eggshells around a partner, parent, or coworker
- Have been told you are "too sensitive" or "overreacting"
- Feel isolated from friends or family
- Struggle with low self-worth, shame, or chronic self-doubt
- Feel anxious, depressed, or numb without fully understanding why
- Have difficulty trusting your own judgment or making decisions
How EMDR Therapy Helps Survivors of Emotional Abuse
Traditional talk therapy helps you understand what happened. EMDR therapy helps your nervous system finally believe it is over. Emotional abuse creates deeply held negative beliefs — "I am not enough," "I am not safe," "I don't matter" — that live in the body, not just the mind. EMDR therapy works by reprocessing the painful memories and experiences behind those beliefs so they lose their grip on your daily life. As an EMDR-certified trauma therapist, I use this proven approach to help survivors of emotional abuse and CPTSD move from survival mode into a life that feels genuinely their own again.
What to Expect in Therapy?
Healing from emotional abuse takes time and it starts with feeling safe. In our first sessions together we will go at your pace, build trust, and identify the patterns and beliefs that are keeping you stuck. From there we will use EMDR and cognitive behavioral therapy to process what happened and rebuild how you see yourself. Many clients come to me having never told anyone the full story of what they experienced. This is a space where you will be believed, supported, and never judged. All sessions are conducted via telehealth, so you can access support from the comfort and privacy of your own home. If you prefer in person, I have a office in Woodinville, WA.
You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone
Taking the first step toward healing from emotional abuse is one of the bravest things you can do. I offer a free 15 minute consultation so you can ask questions, share what you're going through, and see if we're a good fit — no pressure, no commitment.