Guidepoint clinic
EMDR Therapy in Ontario and Newfoundland
At Guidepoint Clinic, we offer EMDR therapy virtually — which means you can access it from anywhere in Ontario or Newfoundland, from a space where you already feel safe.
This page covers what EMDR is, how it works, what to expect, and whether it might be a good fit for you.
Is EMDR Therapy For You?
Maybe you’ve heard of EMDR from a friend, a podcast, or a quick search after a rough period of time in your life. Maybe a previous therapist mentioned it. Or maybe you’ve been carrying something for a long time — something that talk therapy alone hasn’t been able to fully reach — and you’re wondering if there’s another way.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of the most researched and widely recommended therapies for trauma and PTSD in the world. It is, in fact, only one of two therapeutic modalities recognized by the World Health Organization WHO to address trauma. It’s also increasingly being used for anxiety, depression, phobias, grief, and other experiences where the past keeps showing up in the present.
Ready to explore EMDR? Book a free 20-minute consultation in Ontario or Newfoundland.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy developed in the late 1980s by American psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro, and it has since been validated by decades of clinical research and endorsed by major health organizations — including Health Canada, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the American Psychological Association.
The central idea behind EMDR is that traumatic or deeply distressing experiences can sometimes get “stuck” in the brain in a way that prevents them from being processed normally. When this happens, the memory doesn’t fade the way ordinary memories do — instead, it continues to trigger intense emotional and physical responses, sometimes years after the event. You might intellectually know the danger has passed, but your body and nervous system haven’t caught up.
EMDR works by helping the brain reprocess those stuck memories so they can be stored in a way that no longer feels threatening or overwhelming. Unlike many forms of therapy, EMDR doesn’t require you to talk through every detail of your experience at length. The goal isn’t to relive the trauma — it’s to transform the way it’s held in your nervous system.
It’s worth noting that EMDR isn’t a single technique — it’s a full therapeutic protocol, structured across eight distinct phases (covered below), typically delivered over multiple sessions.
How Does EMDR Work?
The “eye movement” part of the name comes from one of the therapy’s core components: bilateral stimulation.
During EMDR processing, your therapist guides you through a memory or distressing experience while simultaneously directing your attention back and forth — side to side — using eye movements, gentle tapping, or auditory tones alternating between left and right.
This back-and-forth stimulation appears to engage both sides of the brain simultaneously, and researchers believe it activates a process similar to what happens during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep — the stage of sleep where the brain naturally processes and consolidates experiences from the day. In other words, bilateral stimulation may help the brain do what it was designed to do: make sense of what happened and file it away.
The theoretical model underlying EMDR is called Adaptive Information Processing (AIP). It proposes that the brain has an innate capacity to process and heal from distressing experiences — but that capacity can become blocked when the experience is too overwhelming, too sudden, or too isolating. EMDR is designed to unblock that natural system and allow healing to resume.
It sounds unusual. Many people’s first reaction is skepticism. But the research base for EMDR is substantial — dozens of randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses have found it effective for PTSD and trauma-related conditions, and there’s growing evidence for its use with anxiety, depression, phobias, and more.
The 8 Phases of EMDR Treatment
EMDR is not something that happens in a single session. It follows a structured, eight-phase protocol that your therapist will guide you through at a pace that feels manageable.
History-Taking and Treatment Planning
Your therapist gets to know you: your history, what’s bringing you to therapy, and what experiences you’d like to address. This isn’t about recounting trauma in detail — it’s about understanding your situation well enough to build a safe and effective treatment plan together.
Preparation
Before any processing begins, your therapist takes time to ensure you have the tools to manage what comes up — both in sessions and between them. This phase often includes learning grounding techniques, understanding how EMDR works, and developing what’s called a “container” for distress. No processing of traumatic material happens until you feel sufficiently prepared.
Assessment
Here, you and your therapist identify a specific target — a memory, image, or event — to work on. You’ll be asked to bring to mind the most distressing aspect of that memory, along with any associated beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations. This helps establish a starting point and a way to measure change as processing unfolds.
Desensitization
This is the core of EMDR. Your therapist guides bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or tones) in short sets while you hold the target memory in mind. After each set, you’re asked to notice what’s coming up — thoughts, feelings, body sensations, new memories — without trying to force or direct it. The processing unfolds naturally. This continues until the distress associated with the memory reduces significantly.
Installation
Once the distress has lowered, the focus shifts to strengthening a positive belief you’d like to associate with the memory — for example, moving from “I am not safe” to “I am capable of handling this.” Bilateral stimulation is used again to reinforce and deepen this shift.
Body Scan
You’re guided to bring the target memory and the new positive belief to mind while scanning your body from head to toe. The goal is to notice whether any residual tension, discomfort, or sensation remains. If it does, further processing addresses it.
Closure
Every EMDR session ends with closure — regardless of where the processing has reached. Your therapist will use calming techniques to bring you back to a place of stability before the session ends. You won’t be left in a raw or activated state. Between-session journaling or other tools may be recommended.
Reevaluation
At the start of the next session, your therapist checks in on how you’re doing and whether the processing from the previous session has continued or shifted. This phase ensures the work is staying on track and helps determine what to address next.
What Can EMDR Therapy Help With?
EMDR is best known as a treatment for trauma and PTSD — and that’s where much of the research is strongest. But it’s being used effectively for a much wider range of experiences. Your therapist will help you assess whether it’s a good match for what you’re working through.
Substance Use
EMDR is sometimes integrated into treatment for substance use disorders, specifically when trauma underlies problematic use patterns.
Trauma and PTSD
EMDR was originally developed for trauma, and it remains one of the most effective treatments available. It can help with single-incident trauma (an accident, assault, or medical event) and with complex, developmental, or repeated trauma. If you’re experiencing flashbacks, intrusive memories, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness, EMDR may be worth exploring. Visit our trauma therapy page for more information about trauma-informed care.
Grief and Loss
EMDR can support the processing of complicated or unresolved grief — situations where the loss feels “frozen” or where guilt, anger, or shock remain unprocessed.
Intimate Partner Violence
Survivors of intimate partner violence often carry complex trauma that can be difficult to reach through talk therapy. EMDR can provide a way to process those experiences while maintaining a sense of safety and control. See Guidepoint’s intimate partner violence therapy page for more context.
Occupational and First-Responder Trauma
Police officers, paramedics, firefighters, military personnel, and other first responders are exposed to traumatic events as part of their work — and those experiences accumulate. EMDR is increasingly recognized as an effective tool for occupational trauma in these populations.
Anxiety and Phobias
For anxiety that feels stuck or disproportionate — including phobias, panic, and fears that don’t respond to logic — EMDR can help identify and process the earlier experiences that may be feeding the current reaction. Visit our anxiety therapy page to learn more about our approach.
Virtual Services
Can EMDR Be Done Online?
Yes — and this matters, because Guidepoint is a virtual clinic.
Research into online EMDR has grown substantially, particularly since 2020, and the findings have been consistently positive. Studies have found that online EMDR produces comparable outcomes to in-person delivery for trauma and PTSD — with the added benefit that clients can engage from a space where they already feel safe and grounded.
The main adaptation for virtual EMDR involves bilateral stimulation. In person, therapists often use a moving finger or light bar. Online, our Guidepoint clinician uses tapping: The client taps their own knees or shoulders alternately, guided by the therapist.
Many clients find that tapping, in particular, offers a greater sense of control — which can be helpful when working with sensitive material. Your therapist will work with you to find the method that feels most comfortable.
To participate in online EMDR, you’ll need a private, quiet space, a reliable internet connection, and ideally headphones or earbuds. Your therapist will cover everything else during the preparation phase.
Guidepoint serves clients throughout Ontario and Newfoundland — including those in rural or remote areas where in-person specialized therapy may not be accessible. Virtual delivery makes EMDR available regardless of where you live.
Who Is a Good Candidate for EMDR Therapy?
EMDR can be a strong fit if:
EMDR may require some additional preparation if you’re currently experiencing significant dissociation, emotional dysregulation, or an acute crisis. This isn’t a reason to avoid EMDR — it’s a reason to take the preparation phases seriously, which a good EMDR therapist will do. During your consultation, your therapist can discuss whether EMDR is the right starting point or whether some foundational work would come first.
If you’re not sure, that’s exactly what a free 20-minute consultation is for.
EMDR vs. Other Trauma Therapies
CPT is a structured, cognitive-based approach that focuses on identifying and challenging unhelpful beliefs that have developed around a traumatic event. It involves more written exercises and cognitive work than EMDR. Both are strongly evidence-based for PTSD; the right choice often depends on the nature of the trauma, the client’s preferences, and what feels manageable.
TF-CBT combines cognitive-behavioural techniques with trauma processing and is particularly well-studied in younger populations. EMDR is effective across age groups. Both can be appropriate depending on the individual.
Somatic therapies focus on the body’s role in storing and releasing trauma — through breath, movement, and physical sensation. EMDR also attends to the body (particularly in the body scan phase), and some therapists integrate both approaches. They’re more complementary than competing.
Talk therapy can be effective for many things, but for trauma specifically, talking through an experience without a structured processing protocol can sometimes re-activate distress without fully resolving it. EMDR is designed to move through material more efficiently and with more built-in containment.
The honest answer is that no single approach is best for everyone. The most important factors are finding a therapist you trust, being involved in the decision about your treatment, and being willing to revisit the plan if something isn’t working. Your Guidepoint therapist can help you think through the options. You can also read our existing piece on
What to Expect: EMDR at Guidepoint Clinic
Your first session is focused on getting to know you — your history, your goals, and what you’d like to address. There’s no pressure to disclose everything immediately, and no processing of traumatic material happens until you’re ready.
Early sessions are largely about preparation. Your therapist will explain the EMDR process in detail, teach you grounding and self-regulation techniques, and make sure you feel equipped before any processing begins. For some clients, this phase takes one or two sessions. For others — particularly those with more complex histories — it may take longer. There’s no right timeline.
Processing sessions involve the bilateral stimulation protocol described in the 8 phases above. Sessions are typically 60 minutes, and your therapist will always close the session in a way that leaves you grounded, not activated.
Between sessions you may notice that memories, thoughts, or emotions continue to shift. This is normal and often a sign that the brain is continuing to process. Your therapist may ask you to do some brief journaling between sessions to track what’s coming up.
Number of sessions varies widely. Research suggests that some single-incident traumas can be meaningfully processed in 6–12 sessions. Complex or developmental trauma typically takes longer. Your therapist will review progress regularly and adjust the plan as needed.
EMDR at Guidepoint is offered through individual therapy sessions for teens (13+) and adults. All sessions are conducted virtually.
Meet Jennifer Holt — EMDR Therapist at Guidepoint
Jennifer Holt is Guidepoint’s lead provider of EMDR therapy. She is a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), with over 26 years of clinical experience.
Jennifer’s practice centres on trauma recovery, emotional regulation, and healing from the lasting impacts of harmful relationships and experiences. She works with individuals and couples across Ontario and Newfoundland, offering care that is integrative, trauma-informed, and deeply attuned to each person’s cultural context and lived experience.
Her therapeutic approach draws from EMDR, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), person-centered therapy, and Motivational Interviewing — adapting the tools to what each client actually needs, rather than following a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Jennifer has particular expertise working with first responders and military personnel, including police officers, paramedics, and Canadian Armed Forces members — populations for whom occupational trauma often goes unaddressed for years before someone reaches out. She is an approved provider for the following federal programs:
If you’re a member of one of these groups — or a family member — your therapy may be covered at no cost to you.
Jennifer also has extensive experience supporting Indigenous clients, approaching this work with cultural humility and a commitment to care that honours the whole person and their community context.
Or, if you’d like help deciding which Guidepoint Clinic therapist is the right fit, book a free consultation with Dr. Ainslie Heasman, Guidepoint’s clinic director, who matches clients with the right clinician.
EMDR Therapy at Guidepoint Clinic
Guidepoint is a virtual mental health clinic serving clients across Ontario and Newfoundland. All of our services are delivered online — which means no commute, no waiting room, and care accessible from wherever you are.
EMDR therapy at Guidepoint is available through individual sessions for adults (18+) and teens (13+). If couples therapy is part of your healing, Jennifer also works with couples navigating trauma’s impact on relationships.
Service coverage:
Individual therapy: Ontario | Newfoundland
Teens (13+): Ontario | Newfoundland
Couples: Ontario | Newfoundland
Funding and insurance: Jennifer Holt is an approved provider for CAF, VAC, IFHP, and RCMP programs. Many extended health plans also cover registered psychotherapy. Contact your insurer to confirm your coverage before your first session.
If cost is a barrier, we also offer reduced-cost therapy through our supervised trainee program.
Ready to get started?
Common Questions
You Don’t Have to Carry This Alone
Reaching out for help with trauma takes courage. Whatever brought you here — a search, a recommendation, or just a quiet feeling that something needs to change — we’re glad you’re exploring your options. EMDR isn’t the right fit for everyone. But if it is for you, it can make a real difference in how the past sits in your body and your life.
If not now, when?
Jennifer Holt and the team at Guidepoint are here to help you figure out what comes next.
