EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they stop feeling like live events. In the perinatal season it is one of the most useful tools there is. The therapists on this page are EMDR-trained, licensed in New York.
See the therapistsIn EMDR you briefly hold a difficult memory in mind while following bilateral stimulation, side-to-side eye movements, taps, or tones, which helps the brain refile the memory as past instead of present. It is structured across eight phases, always begins with stabilization and coping skills, and moves at your pace.
Two things surprise people. You do not have to narrate the story in detail for it to work, and sessions are often quieter than expected: less talking through, more processing.
Browse TherapistsEMDR shines on discrete, hard events, which the perinatal season unfortunately supplies: a frightening delivery, an emergency, a NICU stay, a pregnancy loss, or a medical experience that still replays. It is also used for fear of childbirth rooted in an earlier experience.
Many clients do EMDR ahead of a next pregnancy, so the previous chapter is processed before the delivery room reappears. For birth specifically, see EMDR for birth trauma.
Look for formal EMDR training alongside perinatal specialization, and ask how often they use EMDR with birth and loss specifically. The combination matters: an EMDR clinician who knows this season will pace the work around pregnancy, postpartum hormones, and a body that has been through a lot.
Mativa is a specialized directory of licensed perinatal therapists in New York, where every therapist works exclusively in perinatal mental health. Mativa stays intentionally small and focused on this one field, so you are not sorting through a general list hoping to find someone who understands this season of life.
EMDR is a structured therapy that uses bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their emotional charge.
No. EMDR requires you to hold the memory in mind, not to narrate it. Many clients choose it precisely because the story does not have to be retold out loud to be processed.
EMDR is generally considered appropriate during pregnancy when guided by a trained clinician, and many people process an earlier birth or loss while pregnant. Your therapist will pace the work with your pregnancy in mind; raising it in the consult call is the right first step.
For a single difficult event, meaningful change often happens within roughly six to twelve sessions after preparation, faster than most people expect. Longer histories take longer. Your therapist will give you an honest read after the first phase.
You stay fully awake and in control while your therapist guides you through brief sets of eye movements or tapping as you revisit a difficult memory. Most people describe it as intense but manageable, and the memory gradually loses its charge.