EMDR Therapy in Calgary | Heal from Trauma at NU Psychology

When the Past Keeps Running Scenes in Your Mind

Trauma doesn’t just live in memories — it can echo in your body, disrupt your sleep, strain relationships, and make you feel “stuck” in old stories. The past shouldn’t dictate your present.

At NU Psychology in Calgary, our EMDR therapists help you reprocess painful experiences so the past can finally stay where it belongs — behind you. With support, compassion, and science-backed methods, you can begin to move forward with clarity, safety, and strength.

Book EMDR Therapy

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based therapy designed to help people heal from trauma, PTSD, and overwhelming life events.

Unlike traditional talk-only therapy, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or sounds) to activate your brain’s natural healing process. This helps reduce the emotional intensity tied to distressing memories and allows you to form healthier beliefs about yourself and the world.

With EMDR therapy, you can:

  • Release the emotional burden of traumatic memories

  • Heal from abuse, accidents, betrayal, or medical trauma

  • Shift negative self-beliefs to more balanced ones

  • Rebuild safety, stability, and control in your life

EMDR

How Does EMDR Work?

During EMDR, your therapist guides you through an eight-phase process that includes:

  1. Assessment: Identifying the experiences and memories that continue to affect you.

  2. Preparation: Building coping strategies and grounding tools for safety.

  3. Processing: Using bilateral stimulation to activate the brain’s natural healing system.

  4. Integration: Reframing experiences, strengthening adaptive beliefs, and restoring balance.

Through this process, the brain is able to reprocess what once felt unbearable—making room for healing, clarity, and resilience.

BOOK EMDR THERPAY

How EMDR Works — The 8-Phase Process

EMDR unfolds in a careful, guided journey:

  1. History & Assessment – Identify the target memories, current triggers, and goals

  2. Preparation – Build coping strategies and grounding tools for safe processing

  3. Assessment – Choose the memory, the aspects to reprocess (image, negative belief, emotions, body sensations)

  4. Desensitization / Processing – Bilateral stimulation helps your brain reprocess the memory

  5. Installation – Strengthen new, healthier beliefs

  6. Body Scan – Check for and release residual distress

  7. Closure – Return to stability if you haven’t finished processing

  8. Reevaluation – In later sessions, reassess progress and process additional material

Because of this process, EMDR can help the brain rework what once felt unbearable — bringing relief, clarity, and resilience.

What EMDR Can Help With?

EMDR isn’t just for big “T” trauma — it has a wide range of healing applications:

  • PTSD & complex trauma (single-incident or repeated/childhood trauma)

  • Anxiety and panic

  • Depression rooted in past events

  • Grief, loss, and complicated bereavement

  • Phobias and fears

  • Low self-worth, shame, and negative self-beliefs

  • Relationship trauma, betrayal, attachment wounds

  • Cumulative stress, emotional pain, or unresolved loss

Whether your trauma is overt or subtle, EMDR can offer a path forward.

BOOK EMDR

Why Choose NU Psychology for EMDR in Calgary?

Advanced EMDR Expertise – Our team includes multiple psychologists with advanced, rigorous EMDR training

  1. Strength-Based Healing – We don’t just erase pain; we help you rebuild with resilience

  2. Local & Accessible – Located in Killarney, Calgary, easily accessible from Aspen Woods, West Springs, Westgate, Wildwood, Glenbrook, Glamorgan, Cougar Ridge, Discovery Ridge, Springbank Hill, Signal Hill, Strathcona Park, Mount Royal, Hillhurst, Altadore, Marda Loop, Bankview, Lakeview, and nearby communities

  3. Online Options – We offer EMDR sessions online across Alberta for convenience and accessibility

  4. Flexible Scheduling – Evening and weekend appointments available

  5. Collaborative Trust – You remain in control throughout; we guide, support, and accompany

What to Expect in EMDR Sessions

Safe Start: We build coping skills and stabilization tools before diving in

  • Pacing Matters: You'll move at a pace that feels tolerable and safe

  • Active Collaboration: You direct which memories we target; you’re not passive

  • Integration: You leave with new perspective, diminished distress, and practical tools

  • Evolving Journey: EMDR doesn’t erase the past, but it frees you from reliving it

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. When done by a trained professional, EMDR is a safe, structured therapy. We always start with preparation, pacing, and stabilization to ensure you feel grounded and supported.

  • It varies. Some clients see shifts in a few sessions; more complex trauma or multiple target memories can take longer. We'll tailor the plan together.

  • No — EMDR doesn’t remove memories. Instead it reduces the emotional intensity tied to them, allowing the past to become less distressing.

  • Yes. EMDR is effective not only for trauma and PTSD, but also for anxiety, panic, phobias, and symptoms rooted in past experiences.

  • Yes — we provide secure, confidential EMDR sessions online across Alberta. Many clients prefer the safety of their own space.

  • We always use stabilization techniques. You can pause anytime, and we work at a safe, manageable pace. Your safety and agency come first.

Serving Calgary & Online Clients

NU Psychology is based in Killarney, Calgary, with easy access for clients from Aspen Woods, West Springs, Westgate, Wildwood, Glenbrook, Glamorgan, Cougar Ridge, Discovery Ridge, Springbank Hill, Signal Hill, Strathcona Park, Mount Royal, Hillhurst, Altadore, Marda Loop, Bankview, Lakeview, and beyond.

We also offer EMDR therapy online across Alberta — so healing can happen whether you’re local or remote.