EMDR Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy approach that helps clients process difficult life events that continue to shape the present. Painful or overwhelming experiences can remain emotionally active long after they have passed, influencing how we feel, relate to others, and understand ourselves. Rather than erasing memories, EMDR helps reduce their emotional intensity and supports the brain's natural capacity to integrate them more adaptively. As these memories lose their emotional charge, new perspectives and greater psychological flexibility often emerge. Within the safety of a trusting therapeutic relationship, EMDR can support deeper self-understanding, a greater sense of connection, and lasting psychological change.

What EMDR May Help With
In clinical practice, EMDR is commonly used in treatment of the following struggles:

  • Post-traumatic stress and trauma-related symptoms
  • Anxiety and panic symptoms
  • Depressive symptoms associated with past events
  • Persistent shame, guilt, or self-critical internal patterns
  • Difficulties related to childhood or attachment history
  • Grief and complicated bereavement
  • Emotional reactions linked to specific distressing memories

EMDR is not a “one-size-fits-all” treatment, and suitability is determined collaboratively based on individual needs, history, and readiness for this type of work.


How EMDR Works
EMDR follows an eight-phase structured approach that includes history-taking, preparation and stabilization, identification of target memories, and reprocessing work while maintaining present-moment awareness.

During EMDR sessions, attention is focused on aspects of a target memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones). This process is understood to facilitate adaptive reprocessing of distressing memories, helping them become less emotionally activating and more integrated into a coherent sense of personal history.

Over time, clients report a reduction in emotional intensity connected to past events and a shift in deeply held beliefs about themselves and the world.


EMDR Basic Training
EMDR basic training is a foundational program that is approved by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). It provides mental health clinicians with the core knowledge and clinical competencies needed to begin integrating this approach into psychotherapy within their scope of practice. It includes structured instruction in EMDR theory, case conceptualization, and the eight-phase treatment model, along with supervised practicum and consultation, focused on clinical application.

At Canvas of Possibilities, EMDR is provided by associate clinicians who have completed EMDRIA-approved basic training and who practice under the direct clinical supervision of Dr. Kholodova.


EMDRIA Certification
Dr. Kholodova is an EMDRIA-certified therapist, having completed EMDRIA-approved basic training, followed by advanced consultation and additional extensive clinical experience in EMDR therapy. This certification reflects completion of the full post-training pathway, including consultation, applied clinical practice, and adherence to EMDRIA’s professional and ethical standards.


A Relational Approach to EMDR
Although EMDR is a structured protocol, its clinical effectiveness depends significantly on safety, pacing, and the therapeutic relationship, among other factors.

At Canvas of Possibilities, EMDR is delivered in a careful and attuned manner, with attention to stabilization, emotional readiness, and integration of material that emerges during reprocessing.

The goal of EMDR is not to erase or eliminate memories, but to support adaptive processing so that past events are experienced as part of the past, rather than as ongoing sources of distress. This often allows for greater emotional flexibility, reduced reactivity, and a more integrated sense of self.


Psychodynamically-Informed EMDR
Rather than viewing EMDR as a stand-alone treatment, at Canvas of Possibilities, we understand it as one part of a broader psychodynamic process. Our work begins with developing a trusting therapeutic relationship and a deep understanding of the client's emotional life, relationships, and personal history. Within this foundation, EMDR becomes a powerful way of accessing and transforming experiences that continue to shape the present.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy provides the relational foundation and depth of understanding that guide EMDR. It helps identify the attachment experiences, developmental themes, and unconscious conflicts that continue to organize a person’s emotional life. EMDR, in turn, can accelerate psychodynamic psychotherapy by providing direct access to the protected layers of the client's emotional world that may otherwise take much longer to emerge. As traumatic memories are reprocessed, new emotional understanding becomes possible, allowing psychodynamic exploration to unfold with greater depth, movement, and integration.

EMDR