EMDR Therapy
EMDR Therapist San Diego For Healing Beyond Talk Therapy
EMDR Therapy San Diego
When Your Mind and Body Will Not Let You Rest
Alexa Hall LCSW EMDR Therapist San Diego
You wake up feeling unsettled and frustrated because your nights are rarely restful. You lie awake, trying to quiet your thoughts, wishing your body would just relax and drift into sleep. But rest feels like a distant memory. When you finally do fall asleep, nightmares or jolts of panic often wake you, restarting the cycle all over again. You move through your days irritated, running on empty, wondering how long you can keep pushing through.
You find yourself trapped in negative thoughts.
Cycles of dizzying pessimism and catastrophizing. Painful memories show up uninvited, leaving you flooded and distracted. You feel disconnected from yourself and the people you care about, like you are watching your own life from the outside. You notice yourself snapping more often, frustrated and short-tempered, then feeling guilty afterward. Family and friends may say you seem distant, not like your old self, and that only adds to your guilt. You want to change that, but no matter what you try, nothing sticks.
Your body tells the same story.
Always tense, always braced for something bad to happen. The headaches, the upset stomach, the sore shoulders that never quite relax, it is like your whole system is still waiting for danger.
You forget things, lose focus, and can not seem to stay organized. You no longer feel drawn to the things that once made you happy.
You have tried talk therapy before, but it did not seem to help.
It felt like rehashing old pain without real change. Sometimes you wonder if this is just who you are now. Anxious, tired, numb, and beyond repair.
But deep down, there is still a part of you that wants more. You want something that actually works, something that helps you finally feel safe in your body and your life. You want a reset, not just coping. You need lasting change and to feel like you again.
Healing That Honors You
I am Alexa Hall, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (CA #131070), an EMDR Therapist in San Diego. I help adults who have lived through traumatic experiences move out of survival mode and into a life of calm, confidence, and connection.
Many of my clients come to me exhausted and skeptical. They have tried other forms of therapy and worry nothing will help. In our first session, I often hear thoughts like, “I’ve been in therapy before, but it wasn’t for me. It didn’t really change anything,” or, “I do not know if this person is going to be able to handle all this.” But as we begin breaking things down into manageable steps, something shifts.
Clients tell me they start to feel relief, like they finally have a place to start and it is not all on them to figure out anymore.
Clients also often say, “I don’t want to be going to therapy for years.” And I agree. That is the beauty of the interventions I use. They are effective and typically faster than traditional talk therapy.
We start mapping out where you want to be on day one, and we check your progress weekly to make sure we are moving toward your goals.
I use EMDR Therapy and somatic techniques to help your brain and body heal without you having to relive the trauma. These evidence-based methods allow us to work directly with your nervous system, helping you reprocess painful experiences safely and gently. The goal is not to erase the past, but to loosen its grip on your present so you can live more freely now.
Clients often describe the change this way: “The memory is still there, but it feels faded, like an old film reel. It is no longer happening in the here and now.” Another shared, after a recent EMDR session, “It happened. And I can view it from a different perspective. I am experiencing it with my current age emotions and not from when it was actually happening.”
This is the heart of trauma healing.
The story of what happened does not disappear, but it transforms. The fear, shame, or helplessness that once felt unbearable begin to settle as your brain and body learn that the danger has passed and that you are safe now. Over time, small shifts build into something greater. You start saying no without guilt. You care for yourself as someone who matters.
You feel seen, maybe for the first time in a long while, and there is more room to breathe and connect.
Clients describe this transformation as moving from chaos to clarity, from restlessness to calm, from numbness to joy. They rediscover what it feels like to laugh easily, to feel safe in their own skin, and to believe that peace is possible. Memories remain, but they lose their sharpness. You remember, but you no longer relive. Life feels spacious, steady, and connected again.
Begin Your Healing
If you are ready for something that truly works, EMDR Therapy in San Diego can help you find lasting, sustainable change. Together, we will create a path that helps your mind and body learn safety again, so you can finally rest, feel joy, and move forward with confidence.
You do not have to keep pushing through alone. Let us start where you are and move toward the life you want to live.
EMDR Frequently Asked Questions
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma therapy that helps the brain and body reprocess painful memories so they lose their emotional charge. Through guided bilateral stimulation, your brain learns to file those memories away as something that happened rather than something that is still happening. Many clients describe it as finally feeling distance and perspective around their trauma, saying things like, “It happened and I can view it from a different perspective. I am experiencing it with my current age emotions and not from when it was actually happening.”
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Yes. Traditional talk therapy focuses on processing through conversation. EMDR Therapy works directly with how trauma is stored in your nervous system. You do not have to retell or relive every detail of the event for healing to occur. The process helps your mind and body feel safe again while reducing distress, anxiety, and triggers.
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No. In EMDR, you remain in control at all times. We identify the target memories together, and the reprocessing happens internally. You will not be asked to go into full detail unless you choose to. Healing happens through your brain’s natural ability to process, not through retelling.
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EMDR Therapy in San Diego can help with trauma, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, grief, chronic stress, and sleep difficulties. It is particularly effective for those who have experienced chronic or complex trauma and still feel stuck in survival mode.
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Healing looks different for everyone. Some people notice significant changes within a few months, while others benefit from longer-term work. We move at a pace that feels right for you, always focused on safety and sustainable change.
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Yes. Because trauma lives in the body, many clients notice physical relief as they heal. Headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue often decrease as your nervous system shifts from constant alert to calm awareness.
EMDR can also help with chronic pain symptoms.
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Yes. I integrate somatic techniques, mindfulness, and grounding practices into our work. These approaches help reconnect you with your body and build lasting resilience. Each session is tailored to your needs and strengths.
Other favored approached are psychodynamic, CBT, DBT.
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Absolutely. EMDR is effective no matter how long ago the trauma occurred. Your brain and body still hold the capacity to heal. Together, we help those memories lose their grip so you can live more fully in the present.
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Yes. I offer both in-person and online EMDR Therapy for clients across California, including San Diego and surrounding areas. Online sessions are secure and just as effective as in-person work.
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I offer in person EMDR Therapy sessions in San Diego, California. My office is centrally located in Mission Valley. Close to major freeway exits. 1761 Hotel Circle South Ste. 370
San Diego, Ca. 92108 -
You can contact me through my website, email Alexa@trailstonetherapy.com or call (619) 688-8303 to schedule a free consultation. In our first meeting, we will discuss your goals, answer your questions, and decide together what next steps feel right for you.