EMDR Therapy in Anchorage, Alaska
EMDR Therapist for Professionals, Entrepreneurs & Therapists in Alaska
Lorain Moorehead is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist and Approved Consultant with 18 years of clinical experience, offering EMDR therapy via telehealth for high-achieving professionals, entrepreneurs, and therapists throughout Alaska. She serves clients in Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, and across the state, specializing in EMDR for anxiety, burnout, trauma, and the core beliefs that drive performance-based self-worth.
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy follows an eight-phase process designed to help you connect the dots between past experiences and current challenges. Lorain Moorehead has achieved both EMDRIA Certification and Consultant credentials.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy is a treatment designed to help you process difficult memories and find new ways of seeing them that allow you to move forward and heal.
EMDR Therapy in Alaska
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a well-researched therapy that can effectively address a wide range of concerns, either on its own or alongside other treatment approaches. Studies show it helps reduce symptoms of PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression, postpartum challenges, and other distressing experiences in a gradual and safe way. Lorain Moorehead has completed extensive advanced training in EMDR and also supervises other therapists in this approach, which is an important consideration when choosing an EMDR provider.
Why Is EMDR Treatment Used?
EMDR allows you to share the amount of detail you are comfortable sharing and does not require you to relive the experience; in fact, with EMDR you generally see progress as you go which can be very encouraging. Rather than focusing on implementing skills, it gives the brain the support it needs to complete its own natural healing process. It does this through guided eye movements or other forms of Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) that allow the brain to tap into a process of healing similar to what occurs in REM sleep.
EMDR Therapy for High-Achieving Professionals and Entrepreneurs in Alaska
Many of my Alaskan clients are professionals and entrepreneurs who are outwardly successful and internally running on empty. The unique pressures of living and working in Alaska including geographic isolation, limited local resources, and the particular demands of high-stakes industries like energy, healthcare, and government can compound the anxiety, burnout, and core beliefs that drive chronic stress in addition to the common challenges of business such as perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and work becoming the identity. EMDR works at a nervous-system level to reprocess these patterns, not just identify them. For professionals and entrepreneurs who are already insightful and driven, this is often the missing piece.
EMDR Therapy: What Can I expect from the treatment?
EMDR works by helping your brain heal naturally, and everyone's healing journey is unique. Treatment length varies depending on factors like how long you've been dealing with trauma, how your brain responds, and how well you can stay grounded while revisiting difficult memories. Some people need more time in Phase 2 (described below) to build skills for calming their nervous system, and that's perfectly normal. This is still EMDR, and you'll likely notice positive changes during this time too.
EMDR involves eight phases, and all of them matter. At Lorain Moorehead Therapy and Consultation, I follow this structure carefully to ensure you get the full benefit of the approach. You probably won't notice yourself moving through each phase since they flow together naturally. It's important to know that you're "doing EMDR" throughout all eight phases. Sometimes people think EMDR only refers to Phase 4 and beyond, but meaningful work and insight happen in every phase.
We are gathering information regarding the maladaptively linked memory, or the blip in your memory system, and determining how many adaptive links they have in their information system that allow you to calm your nervous system (phase 2). We take things slowly here in order to balance these two things. We are looking for themes here and sorting experiences to see if anything fits under the same umbrella.
Phase 1: History & Treatment Planning
This is also called resourcing- here we are providing education around the EMDR process as well as building safety and determining whether it is safe to move into the next phase. Are you able to utilize your nervous system calming strategies? When we are accessing this window we are able to activate states that are curious, calm, interested and playful.
Phase 2: Preparation
Phase 3: Assessment
Here we review the work that was completed in Phase 1 and narrow down the best place to start, and create a plan for how to move forward called a Target Sequence plan. In this process we will also which negative cognition (NC) seems to be the most pervasive and which adaptive believe (PC) would be more useful to install.
Now that the maladaptive information has been activated, we need to move right into desensitization, where we combine the Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) to begin to desensitize the emotional intensity of the memory. BLS can be tapping, a buzzing device, a lightbar for eye movements, a bilateral sound, etc. and we will carefully direct it and attune to it to be sure it’s effective.
Phase 4: Desensitization
Here we install the PC, adaptive belief with the goal of increasing its strength. The further use of bilateral stimulation will increase how true the PC feels including how much you believe it.
Phase 5: Installation
Here you will observe and note any stress or discomfort that remains in the body. Trauma is held in all channels, and here we are checking the somatic, or body channel to see if anything remains stored. We will continue BLS until this channel is clear as well.
Phase 6: Body Scan
Phase 8: Re-Evaluation
Phase 7: Closure
Closure is how we will wrap up the session. Because it is common to need to end a session in the middle of a reprocessing phase, we will utilize strategies from Phase 2 to be sure that you are leaving feeling comfortable and not overwhelmed be the information that you accessed. In the event that the target was closed, we will end the session after installation and a clear body scan.
Since processing can continue throughout the day and during sleep, re-evaluation means we check in at the beginning of the next session to see if level of distress is still a zero, or if anything new has come up. It’s fine if it does–we will do phase 4 until it returns to a zero. After a target is complete and distress remains at a zero, we can move on to a new target from Phase 3.
EMDR addresses a wide variety of challenges.
What Conditions Does EMDR Therapy Treat?
✓ PTSD
✓ Anxiety Disorders
✓ Panic and Phobias
✓ Depression
✓ Grief
✓ Perinatal Mental Health
✓ Recent traumatic events
✓ Performance anxiety
✓ Sleep disturbance
✓ Abuse and sexual abuse
I also work with therapists and mental health professionals as individual therapy clients throughout Alaska. Clinicians practicing in Alaska often carry unusually heavy loads — geographic isolation, limited peer consultation, high-acuity caseloads, and the emotional weight of serving communities with significant trauma histories. Many seek EMDR therapy with me across state lines specifically to access depth-oriented, high-level work while reducing dual-relationship concerns. If you're a therapist in Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, or anywhere in Alaska looking for your own EMDR therapist, telehealth makes this straightforward. Sessions focus entirely on your experience as a client.
EMDR Therapy for Therapists in Alaska
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Your EMDR Therapist in Alaska
If you’re considering EMDR, please be sure that your provider is EMDRIA certified or working to be. Lorain Moorehead is an EMDRIA certified therapist and approved consultant, representing the highest level of EMDR therapy expertise and qualification to train other practitioners.
SServing clients via telehealth throughout Alaska including Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, Sitka, Kenai, and beyond.
For any questions, to discover if we are a good fit or to provide information about what you’re looking for, please schedule your FREE 15 minute consultation.
