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Sara Forcella, EMDRIA Certified Therapist and Approved Consultant-in-training I’ve dedicated my career not just to trauma, but to a very specific kind of trauma: the wounds that happen in relationships. For well over a decade, my work has centered around relational and interpersonal violence. I’ve been a therapist for seven years, specializing in relational and attachment trauma—experiences like childhood sexual abuse, relationship violence, emotionally immature or narcissist

I get a lot of messages on social media from people asking if I can help them find an EMDR therapist. And honestly, one of the perks of being an EMDR consultant is that I know a lot of EMDR therapists. I know for a fact that there are amazing clinicians doing this work all over the country. World, actually. Sometimes I know someone personally who might be a great fit. When I don't, I usually point people toward the EMDRIA Find an EMDR Therapist directory or Psychology Today.

I've been doing virtual EMDR since I first got trained, so figuring out bilateral stimulation online has always just been part of how I practice. I started out using a different platform. It was fine. It did what I needed it to do. Then I found BilateralStimulation.io, and I was honestly surprised by how simple it was. There wasn't a huge learning curve, my clients could figure it out, and it was easier to use while also giving me way more options. I switched and never really

There have been multiple times I’ve been looking online for EMDR therapist merch, for photo shoots, trainings, or just to sport around, and I kept coming back to the same thing: Nothing was really that cute or catchy. A lot of the EMDR shirts and therapist merch I found felt generic, and there just wasn’t much variety. Where was all the cute, fun EMDR merch?! And listen, I’m a merch girl. I love a comfy tee during the hot months and an oversized sweatshirt on a chilly, rainy

If you’re an EMDR therapist, you’ve probably seen these questions come up over and over again: Can I do EMDR virtually? How do you do EMDR virtually? What platform do you use? What’s the best bilateral stimulation for virtual EMDR? I see some version of these questions all the time in EMDR Facebook groups, consultation groups, and listservs. And I actually think we’re sometimes asking the wrong question. Instead of asking “Can EMDR be done virtually?” I think the better quest

Maybe you've failed the exam before. Maybe just the thought of registering for the exam makes your stomach drop. Maybe you've been avoiding studying because every time you sit down, you feel overwhelmed before you even begin. Or maybe you've always struggled with standardized tests, and you're already psyching yourself out before exam day even gets here. I get it. I've always struggled with standardized tests, too, and like you, I've had to take more than my fair share to bec

Not every loss heals with time alone. Sometimes a loss is so overwhelming that your nervous system continues to respond as though it's happening in the present. When that happens, trauma, not just grief, may be keeping you stuck. Whether you've experienced the sudden death of someone you love, a painful divorce, the end of a significant relationship, or the devastating discovery of betrayal, these experiences can fundamentally change how you see yourself, others, and the worl

Unlike some therapists who exclusively provide intensives, I maintain an active therapy caseload and offer EMDR intensives on select weekends throughout the year. The reason is simple: I genuinely love this format of therapy.

If you’re an EMDR therapist who works in person, chances are you’ve looked at an EMDR light bar at some point and wondered: Is it actually worth the investment? That was definitely me. I provide about 95% of my EMDR therapy virtually, so for a long time, purchasing an EMDR Kit light bar didn’t make much sense for my practice. I already had a virtual bilateral stimulation setup that I genuinely loved, and it did exactly what I needed it to do. Then I started offering in-person

EMDR Intensive Therapy in Raleigh, NC | Trauma Therapy Intensives Explained EMDR intensives are becoming an increasingly sought-after option in trauma therapy, especially for individuals looking for a more focused and time-contained approach to EMDR treatment. However, there is still variability in how EMDR intensive therapy is defined, structured, and studied in the research literature. In this post, I’ll break down what EMDR intensives are, what the current research says ab

EMDR therapist in North Carolina holding an EMDR book, representing EMDR consultation, trauma therapy education, and advanced EMDR treatment planning for clinicians. If you’re an EMDR therapist or in EMDR training, there’s a moment where things start to shift clinically. You stop thinking in terms of “What memory do I process next?” And you start thinking: “What is actually holding this entire system together?” That shift is the beginning of memory network thinking—and one of

If you’ve trained in EMDR, you’ve probably heard: “Don’t finish processing until the SUD is 0 and the VOC is 7." But in real-life sessions, does that always happen? And what does it really mean when clients don’t hit those numbers? I’m Sara, a Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant-in-Training. Here’s how I think about SUDs, VOCs, and Phase 4 EMDR processing in a way that’s practical, human, and usable in real sessions. What is SUD in EMDR? SUD (Subjective U

You completed EMDR training for clinicians.You learned the protocol. You practiced it. Maybe you even felt confident leaving the classroom. And then you sat down with a real client… and it didn’t feel so clear anymore. That’s the part most EMDR trainings don’t cover. Because EMDR training gives you a structure—but real sessions don’t follow scripts. Clients get overwhelmed, avoidant, or stuck. You’re trying to track targets, stay attuned, manage your own regulation, and make

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has helped many people process traumatic memories and reduce emotional distress. When it reaches the root, change feels integrated and lasting. But sometimes clients leave a session feeling lighter, only to notice the same patterns return weeks later. The relief was real, yet it did not hold. When EMDR does not “stick,” it usually is not because the method failed. It is often a sign that the work stayed with a chapt

I still remember the first time I started seeing clients while in EMDR Basic Training. I had 3 notebooks open, sticky notes everywhere,...

If you’ve ever thought, “Why am I still reacting this way when I know it’s in the past?” — you’re not alone. Emotional pain and trauma don’t just live in our memories. They live in our bodies and nervous systems too. At Thriving With Therapy, I offer EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help clients process difficult experiences, reduce emotional overwhelm, and reconnect with a sense of calm and safety. Whether you're here in North Carolina or meeti