EMDR Therapy for Birth Trauma in NYC + New Jersey
- Salina Grilli, LCSW
- 24 hours ago
- 4 min read
In-person in NYC + Virtual EMDR Therapy for Birth Trauma for NY and NJ Residents
Therapy for Birth Trauma NYC
For many, the journey to motherhood is marked by unexpected challenges that leave emotional scars.
Birth trauma, whether due to medical complications, emergency interventions, or feeling unheard during delivery, can have a lasting impact on your nervous system, your relationships, and your sense of safety.
If you’ve found yourself reliving the experience, feeling anxious around reminders of birth, or struggling to connect with your baby, you're not alone.
33 to 45% of women report that their birth was traumatic, and up to 9% go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result.
Many women say their experience was dismissed or minimized, with all attention shifting to the baby, leaving their emotional needs overlooked. Well-meaning phrases like “At least the baby is healthy” often silence the mother’s invisible pain. The baby was celebrated. The mother’s pain was brushed aside.
As American obstetric nurse and researcher Cheryl Beck puts it:
“Just like beauty, the perception of birth and whether or not it is traumatic comes from the perception of the parent. The parents’ perception can be quite different from the labor and delivery staff’s perception and quite different from the partner’s perception, who is witnessing birth.”
EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful, evidence-based treatment designed to help your brain and body process traumatic experiences, so you can stop feeling reactivated, triggered, and raw, and start feeling whole again.
What is Birth Trauma?
Birth trauma isn’t always about what happened medically. It’s about how your nervous system experienced the event.
As a perinatal trauma therapist, I often hear Moms talk about traumatic birth experiences related to
Feeling dismissed or experiencing a lack of respect and compassion by medical staff
Loss of control or unexpected interventions
Emergency C-Section
NICU stays or medical interventions for the baby
A partner who froze instead of stepping up
How Does Birth Trauma Impact Mothers
These experiences can lead to symptoms similar to PTSD, including hypervigilance, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, emotional numbness, or difficulty bonding with your baby. When left unprocessed, birth trauma can quietly shape your entire postpartum experience, affecting how safe, connected, and supported you feel.
And, for many moms, the emotional weight resurfaces during milestones or major transitions, including:
Feeling emotionally triggered around your baby’s first birthday
Experiencing anxiety or dread during a subsequent pregnancy
Feeling paralyzed at the thought of having another child
Flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts
Avoiding medical appointments or hospitals
Difficulty bonding with your baby
A lingering sense that something “wasn’t right” about your birth experience
Not being able to trust your partner to take care of you (or your children)
How Does EMDR Therapy Help Process Birth Trauma?
EMDR is one of the most researched and effective therapies for trauma. It works by helping your brain reprocess traumatic memories in a way that reduces their emotional charge, so they no longer hijack your present.
Rather than revisiting the trauma over and over again, EMDR helps you move through it. It’s grounded in an 8-phase protocol and a three-pronged approach that targets the past, present, and future. Healing is not just about the memory, but about how it shows up in your body and your life today.
The Eight Phases of EMDR:
History Taking: We explore your past experiences, identify the root of current symptoms, and assess if EMDR is the right fit.
Preparation: I’ll walk you through what to expect, establish safety tools, and make sure you feel grounded and resourced.
Assessment: Together, we identify specific memories to target, along with the negative beliefs and body sensations that come with them.
Desensitization: Using bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping), we begin reprocessing the traumatic memory.
Installation: We strengthen a positive, more adaptive belief to replace the old one.
Body Scan: You’ll tune into your body to notice and clear any lingering distress.
Closure: Each session ends with grounding and self-soothing techniques to ensure you feel regulated.
Re-evaluation: In following sessions, we check in on previous targets and explore new areas that may benefit from reprocessing.
EMDR's Three-Pronged Approach:
Past: Target and reprocess the original trauma (i.e. memories of birth, postpartum care)
Present: Reduce current triggers (like OB appointments, reminders of the hospital, or parenting stress).
Future: Build resilience and prepare for future experiences, like another pregnancy or birth, with a stronger internal foundation.
Seeking Birth Trauma Therapy in NYC + NJ
Whether you’re still in the early postpartum fog, struggling with flashbacks months (or years) later, or preparing for another birth and feeling paralyzed by fear. If you're in search of "EMDR Therapy for NYC" and "birth trauma therapy in NYC," you are in the right place.
Ready to Feel Like Yourself Again?
Schedule your free consultation and discover how EMDR therapy can support your recovery after birth trauma.
About the Author
Salina Grilli, LCSW, PMH-C, is a Columbia-trained psychotherapist specializing in EMDR therapy in NYC and birth trauma treatment in NYC. As the founder of Manhattan Modern Therapy, she supports women navigating the emotional aftermath of traumatic birth experiences, postpartum anxiety, and the identity shifts of motherhood. Salina combines evidence-based approaches with deep compassion to help clients heal at the root, so they can feel safe in their bodies, confident in their parenting, and connected to themselves again.
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