82. How EMDR Heals: Rewiring the Past, Reclaiming the Present, & Transforming through Trauma (with EMDR Expert Dana Carretta-Stein)

Trauma is not what happens to us - it is what happens inside of us as a result of what happens to us.

Which is why healing comes from the inside out -- through modalities that often get us out of the thinking mind and into the body.

We've all heard it: The Body Keeps the Score. But what does that mean?

In this episode, I sit down with Dana Carretta-Stein — a certified EMDR therapist and trauma-informed care expert whose work has informed a community of over 100,000— to unravel how EMDR Therapy actually works. Not just as a therapy, but as a powerful pathway for healing the past and reclaiming the present.

We unpack what EMDR is and why it works, who it’s for, and why talk therapy isn’t always enough. We explore the overlap between ADHD and trauma, the importance of an attuned therapist, the phases of EMDR, and what healing really looks like when you’re finally ready to face the past.

I also share my personal journey with EMDR — from mother wound work to reprocessing deep-rooted patterns I didn’t even know were trauma responses.

This conversation is packed with insight, validation, and gentle encouragement for anyone navigating their own healing.

For anyone who feels stuck, numb, and is carrying the weight of what hasn't been held yet -- may this conversation be a guiding light for you.

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DANA'S LINKS:

Dana's Website

Free EMDR Resources

Dana's IG

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CHAPTERS:

0:00-6:30: Introduction

6:30-9:00: What does Healing Mean to You?

9:00-14:00: Trauma is Not an Event, It's An Experience

14:00-18:00: The overlap between ADHD & Trauma. Rejection Sensitivity

18:00-26:00: How is Talk Therapy Different than EMDR? Feeling & Processing vs "Out-thinking" or Intellectualizing

26:00-40:00: My journey with EMDR, The Mother Wound, Attachment Trauma

40:00-46:00: How do You know You're "Done" with EMDR?

46:00-49:00: The Codependent Therapist/Patient Relationship & Importance of Attunement

49:00-53:00: "Pre-Requisites for EMDR," Fear around Repressed Memories Resurfacing

53:00-59:00: Results: What is the Biggest Change You've Seen in Someone through EMDR

59:00-1:07: Finding the Right Therapist, Insurance, & Investment in your Healing

1:07-1:09: EMDR & Joe Dispenza Overlap

1:09-1:15: Why EMDR? & Who is the Therapists' Therapist?

1:15-1:20: Road Less Traveled & Figuring Sh!t Out Advice

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GLOSSARY:

DBT: Dialectal Behavioral Therapy / CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - commonly used modalities of Talk Therapy

EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing 

IFS: Internal Family Systems / Parts Work

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