EMDR for Stress

Release the overwhelm. Reconnect with calm and find relief.

Can EMDR help with chronic stress?

Stress doesn’t always scream, it simmers. It’s the tension in your shoulders when you wake up. The sense of urgency that never turns off. The spiral of overthinking you can’t quite escape. If you’ve been running on empty, always “on,” and can’t remember the last time you felt truly rested, EMDR therapy might help you reset.

At Shift Change, we use EMDR to help people move through chronic stress and burnout, without needing to talk through every detail. The process is science-backed, body-informed, and designed to help you feel better, faster.

If you’ve tried talk therapy but still feel stuck, EMDR can offer a different kind of relief. 

What stress really looks like

Stress shows up in different ways. It’s not only what you feel when you’re trying to make a deadline or deal with a packed schedule. Instead, stress and burnout can be any of the following:

  • The inability to wind down, even when you've clocked out

  • Feeling empty or somehow disconnected from yourself

  • Snapping at people you care about (or feeling nothing at all)

  • Tossing and turning at night, picking at your food, losing your train of thought

  • Your body stuck in "go mode," a feeling of always being on the treadmill of life

These are all signs your nervous system is stuck in survival mode. 

Try a different kind of stress therapy that actually works.

Our EMDR online sessions will help you get relief. 

Why EMDR therapy works so well for stress

When you're under constant pressure, your brain adapts, but not always in helpful ways. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps reset your nervous system so you can finally catch your breath.

EMDR helps with chronic stress and burnout by:

Taking the edge off those things that set you off day after day.

Helping your brain handle daily pressures without going into panic mode.

Working without making you explain or relive every stressful moment.

Building your capacity so you're not just scraping by, but actually feeling like yourself again. 

And at Shift Change, you can do it all online, privately, and without pressure.

How EMDR differs from talk therapy

Stress often lives in your body long before it becomes a thought you can name. While talk therapy can help you understand yourself better, EMDR works deeper by addressing the underlying overwhelm that keeps your system on edge.

This means

You don't need to dissect every stressful situation.

You can process what's happening right now through bilateral stimulation.

You don’t need to verbally share anything. The session records feelings in a journal. 

If you're burnt out, emotionally drained, or tired of talking in circles, maybe it's time to try something different.

All our EMDR sessions are online and fully anonymous.

What EMDR stress sessions look like

We guide every session with care and clarity. The Assyst protocol is heavily researched and backed by the World Health Org. The goal is to regulate first in order to see what is keeping you stuck. Here's what happens:

1. First, we slow everything down. We start with grounding and regulation. You will experience the subtle shifts as your brain and body release. 

2. Then, we ease into EMDR. You will not be asked to open “old trauma memories.” Instead, we focus on the last 90 days. Guiding the system through a reset. When you are ready to work on the deeper stuff, we can do that too. 

3. You notice. We support. Your job is simply to observe what comes up, without needing to analyze it. Your brain does the processing and we keep things steady.

4. We close with care. The bilateral stimulation desensitizes the distress. This is why you will feel grounded throughout the process. You'll leave feeling clearer and having a lot more insight.

What makes our approach feel safe

Anonymous online EMDR sessions. No video if you don't want it. Just you and your therapist.

No need to "have it together." Show up exactly as you are. Overwhelmed, quiet, distracted…it's all welcome.

No need to talk. This is a non-verbal journey.

If you've been pushing through for too long, EMDR can offer a different way forward, without adding more to your plate.

Your Questions, Answered

  • While meditation helps manage stress in the moment, EMDR actually helps process and release the built-up tension of chronic stress. It works on the patterns themselves, so you're not just coping, you're healing. Think of meditation as a floaty in the pool. The EMDR teaches the brain to swim. 

  • Absolutely. EMDR works especially well for stress that builds up over time, like caregiving, healthcare work, or emotionally demanding jobs. You don't need a capital-T trauma to benefit. In fact, research shows that sustained small T traumas over a long time have a greater impact than Big T traumas. 


  • You do not. All of your reflections are for you. The assyst is a non-verbal form of therapy.

  • That's the beauty of EMDR. It does a lot of the heavy lifting. All you need is to show up. We'll handle the rest.