EMDR is a treatment for memories that will not settle. Spencer Posey, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #141641), offers EMDR therapy at Landmark Christian Counseling in Ventura and online across California. This page explains who it is for, what the sessions involve, and how to start.
Who EMDR is for at Landmark
Trauma. A single event or years of them. Abuse, an accident, a loss, or something from childhood that still sets off a reaction in your body when you get near it.
Betrayal trauma. For a partner who discovered an affair or a hidden pattern of sexual behavior, discovery day can replay like any other trauma. Intrusive images. A racing heart at the sight of a phone. Trouble sleeping. These are trauma responses, and they make sense. EMDR is one of the tools Spencer may use to help a betrayed partner process those memories once the relationship is stable enough to do that work.
Memories talk therapy has not reached. You may already understand the event. You may have talked it through in counseling. And you still react to it. EMDR targets the memory itself.
A wound under a compulsive pattern. For men in recovery from compulsive porn use or sex addiction, an older injury sometimes sits beneath the behavior. EMDR may be part of that treatment once sobriety is steady.
What EMDR is, in plain words
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Francine Shapiro developed it in the late 1980s. The idea behind it is that a distressing memory can be stored in a raw form, with the images, feelings, and body sensations of the moment still attached. In a session you hold a piece of the memory in mind for a short set while following a side-to-side movement, such as the therapist’s hand or alternating taps. Then you report what came up. Then another set. The aim is for the memory to lose its charge and settle into the past where it belongs.
EMDR has eight phases. In plain terms they are taking your history, preparing you with skills to steady yourself, choosing the target memory, reprocessing it, strengthening a truer belief about yourself, checking your body for what is left, closing the session so you leave steady, and re-evaluating at the start of the next session. You do not have to narrate the whole event out loud. The work happens in session, and there is no homework.
The research for EMDR is strongest for PTSD. Clinical guidelines in the United States and from the World Health Organization list it as a treatment for PTSD. For betrayal trauma specifically, the published evidence is thinner, and Spencer uses it there as one tool among several.
What a course of EMDR looks like here
Assessment first. Not every kind of distress calls for EMDR, and some people are not ready for it yet. The first session is an assessment of what you are dealing with and whether EMDR fits.
History. Which memories, in what order, and what you have come to believe about yourself because of them.
Preparation. Skills for settling your body so a session can close well. This can take a few sessions. For a betrayed partner, preparation may also mean waiting until the household is stable enough that reprocessing does not reopen a wound that is still being cut.
Reprocessing. The sets described above. One target memory may take a single session or several.
There is no fixed number of sessions. A single-event trauma with a stable life around it may move quickly. A long history of trauma, or a betrayal that is still unfolding, takes longer because there is more to prepare for and more to process. Spencer reviews the plan with you as you go and tells you what he sees.
How faith fits
Landmark is a Christian practice. Spencer works from the belief that Christ heals and that EMDR is one of the means He may use. Prayer can open or close a session. Scripture comes into the work when a belief you hold about yourself is being replaced with a truer one. Clients who are not Christians are welcome and receive the same care. EMDR itself requires no particular belief, and you set the pace.
Who provides it
Spencer Posey is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #141641) and a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT). He is EMDR trained. Landmark is his solo practice, so the person you speak with on the consultation call is the person you will see.
The Ventura office and online
Sessions are in person at 1560 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001, in a building shared with the Ventura Compassion Collective. Directions, parking, and what to expect on arrival are on the Ventura office page.
Online EMDR is available to anyone in California.
Questions people ask about EMDR
Will I have to talk about everything that happened?
No. EMDR does not depend on telling the full story. You hold a piece of the memory in mind and report what comes up. Spencer needs enough to choose the target.
Does EMDR work for betrayal trauma?
It may help with the memories that keep replaying. It does not rebuild trust or decide the future of the marriage. Those are separate work, and they go alongside EMDR.
How many sessions will it take?
It varies, as described above. Spencer will give you his best estimate after the assessment and update it as the work goes.
Is EMDR compatible with Christian faith?
Yes. EMDR is a clinical method and takes no position on faith. At Landmark it is used inside a Christian practice, where prayer and Scripture are part of the work.
Book an EMDR session in Ventura
Call or text (805) 399-0223, or book a free consultation.
Read more about EMDR at Landmark in What actually happens in EMDR therapy, phase by phase and Finding steady ground: EMDR for PTSD in Ventura.
Spencer Posey, LMFT #141641 | CSAT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Landmark Christian Counseling | landmarkchristiancounseling.com
Educational content, not therapy. No therapist-client relationship is formed by reading this. In crisis, call or text 988.