Healing Trauma Through EMDR: Effective Therapy for PTSD and Anxiety

​If you or your spouse is struggling with trauma or PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be a highly effective treatment option. As a professional Christian psychotherapist, I specialize in using EMDR to help individuals heal from trauma by addressing the root causes through trauma healing and an internal family systems approach. For spouses, I provide guidance to help support their loved ones through the healing process.

EMDR is one of the most researched and recommended treatments for trauma and PTSD. This process reduces anxiety and changes your relationship to traumatic memories by accessing the brain’s innate capacity to reprocess them. EMDR works by promoting integration and processing on multiple levels, including the right and left hemispheres of the brain, and incorporating adaptive information from the Emotional Brain.EMDR Therapy for Trauma, PTSD, and Anxiety Relief
A Christian Approach to Trauma Healing and Emotional Recovery
Feeling stuck in fear, stress, or painful memories? EMDR can help.
If you’ve experienced trauma, panic attacks, or overwhelming anxiety, your nervous system may still be holding onto painful emotional memories. Even if the event is in the past, your mind and body may not have fully processed it.
EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a research-backed, rapid, and powerful trauma healing therapy that helps your brain do what it was always meant to do — heal.
Who Is EMDR Therapy For?
At HealMyLife, I use EMDR Christian therapy to help clients heal deeply from trauma and stress-related disorders. EMDR has shown excellent results for:
EMDR for PTSD and post-traumatic stress symptoms
EMDR for anxiety, including panic attacks and fear
EMDR for childhood trauma and attachment wounds
EMDR for relationship trauma, abuse, and betrayal
EMDR for codependency and people-pleasing cycles
EMDR for fear and phobias, even when irrational
EMDR for sexual abuse recovery
EMDR for stress relief and burnout
EMDR for social anxiety and public speaking fears
EMDR for performance anxiety in sports, work, or academics
EMDR for complicated grief and unresolved loss
Whether you’ve tried talk therapy before or this is your first time seeking help, EMDR can offer anxiety treatment without medication and deep, permanent healing from emotional pain.
What Are the Benefits of EMDR Therapy?
EMDR reaches what talk therapy often can’t — the emotional brain. It allows you to:
✅ Process and release trauma safely
✅ Heal emotional triggers and feel more in control
✅ Break cycles of fear, avoidance, or self-sabotage
✅ Strengthen emotional regulation and calm your nervous system
✅ Unlock peak performance and creativity
✅ Experience spiritual peace and emotional resilience
Many of my clients report feeling “lighter,” “relieved,” and more “free to be present” in their lives and relationships after EMDR therapy.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
You may be wondering, "How does EMDR therapy work?" or "What happens in an EMDR session?"
Here’s a simple explanation:
​EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or sounds) to help your brain reprocess traumatic or emotionally intense memories.
It functions like REM sleep — helping both sides of the brain communicate to process trauma and consolidate healing.
EMDR helps unlock stuck emotional memories so they can be edited and reconsolidated in a permanently changed, less painful state.
You keep the memory — but lose the emotional pain attached to it.
Through this process, core beliefs that once held you back — like “I’m not safe” or “I’m not enough” — are replaced with truth, calm, and hope.
What Happens in an EMDR Session?
In each session, we:
Identify the painful event, trigger, or negative belief.
Explore what you saw, felt, believed, and still carry.
Use gentle bilateral stimulation (eye movement, sound, or tapping).
Allow your brain to process and resolve the memory.
Replace emotional distress with peace, clarity, and renewed truth.
As a Christian EMDR therapist, I also integrate Christian prayer and listening practices where appropriate. This can enhance the experience of spiritual healing and inner transformation.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
This depends on your trauma history and goals. Some clients experience breakthrough after 3 to 10 sessions for a specific issue. Others use EMDR trauma therapy to work through multiple layers, including:
Long-standing anxiety
Perfectionism and people-pleasing
Guilt, shame, and feeling too responsible for everyone
We also combine EMDR with Christian therapy for trauma for deeper integration of mind, spirit, and soul.
Why Choose HealMyLife for EMDR?
I’m George Hartwell, M.Sc., a Christian EMDR therapist with over 40 years of experience in psychotherapy. At HealMyLife, I combine:
Evidence-based EMDR therapy
Christian spiritual guidance
Trauma-informed care using Internal Family Systems
Deep respect for your story, your pace, and your healing process
If you're seeking a Christian approach to trauma therapy, this is a place where emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing come together.
Client Testimonial
"I didn’t realize how much my past was still affecting me until EMDR. I felt the shift in just a few sessions. Now I’m calmer, more confident, and more present with my family.”
Getting Started
Session Fee: $160/hour or $215 for 90 minutes
Location: Online or in-person with George Hartwell, M.Sc.
Payment: E-transfer or PayPal
Booking: Call 416-939-0544 or visit HealMyLifeMobile.com
FAQ: EMDR Christian Therapy
Q: Is EMDR effective for anxiety?
Yes. EMDR is highly effective for treating generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and even performance anxiety. It helps you process the root emotional causes, not just manage symptoms.
Q: Can EMDR help with childhood trauma or abuse?
Absolutely. EMDR gently and safely helps you revisit and heal from childhood trauma, abandonment, and abuse. It’s one of the most effective therapies for healing traumatic memories.


Q: Does EMDR align with Christian beliefs?
Yes. At HealMyLife, I offer Christian EMDR therapy, integrating biblical truth, spiritual insight, and prayer when appropriate. This enhances your spiritual as well as emotional healing.


Q: Is EMDR safe?
Yes. EMDR is a well-researched and endorsed treatment by the American Psychiatric Association and WHO. It’s safe when administered by a trained clinician.


Q: Can EMDR help with grief, codependency, or relationship issues?
Yes. EMDR has been successful for complicated grief, codependency, and relationship trauma. It helps untangle emotional patterns and replace them with inner peace and clarity.


Ready to Heal? Let’s Begin.
Don’t wait years to feel better.
Start your journey with EMDR Christian therapy today.
📞 Call George Hartwell at 416-939-0544

🟨 Let’s Begin Your Healing Journey
✅ Sessions available by Zoom, phone, or FaceTime
📞 Call (416) 939-0544 to book your Christian therapy session today.
📧 Email: [email protected]​ 

 

Professional fee per hour session is $160.00 (2022 - subject to change). There is a fee ($80.00) for late cancelled appointments (24 hour notice is required). Payment is due at the end of your appointment. Payment by e-transfers or PayPal. A receipt is issued indicating that I am a registered psychotherapist in Ontario.