EMDR for Depression: Overcome the Trauma That Drives Your Symptoms

Rewire your brain to resolve and release painful, traumatic memories--so you can take charge of your depression and take back your life.

If you have depression, you may struggle with intense emotions or negative thoughts. You may find everyday tasks overwhelming. And you may feel irritable, sad, or exhausted most days. If you’ve tried to get better, but haven’t found your way, it’s possible that your depression is driven by underlying trauma--and in order to effectively treat your depression you must first address the source. Written by a psychologist and based in cutting-edge eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, this book can help you get started.

EMDR for Depression offers a comprehensive approach to help you resolve and release traumatic memories, build a greater sense of confidence and connection, and rediscover hope. You’ll find soothing practices to regulate your nervous system, balance your emotions, and feel more in charge of your life. You’ll also learn mindfulness and self-compassion skills to help you stay in the moment and see yourself--and your experiences--with greater clarity and empathy. Finally, you’ll identify what it is you truly value and care about in life, so you can discover greater meaning, purpose, and fulfillment now and in the future.

The strategies taught in this book are also infused with evidence-based techniques from motivational interviewing (MI), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and positive psychology to help you find your way out of the darkness of depression. No matter how hopeless things may seem now, there is a way forward. This book can help light the way.

Lara Barbir, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and founder of Transcendent Therapy in California. She is particularly passionate about using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and interpersonal psychotherapy approaches with higher-functioning adults and teens struggling with depression, complex trauma/post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. She has also received specialty training in numerous treatment modalities, including EMDR, interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and enjoys supervising, teaching, and training other therapists. Prior to starting her private practice, she worked in the VA hospital setting for more than six years. She received her doctorate in counseling psychology from Radford University in Virginia.