The short answer:
Birth trauma therapy is specialized mental health treatment that helps women process distressing childbirth experiences that continue to affect their emotional wellbeing. The most effective and widely researched method is EMDR therapy.
A birth does not have to look dramatic on paper to be traumatic. If you felt terrified, helpless, unheard, or out of control during delivery that experience lives in your body and your nervous system long after you leave the hospital.
Birth trauma therapy works by addressing what regular talk therapy often cannot: the way trauma is stored physically, not just mentally.
Call us (858) 289-0671 or Book your free 15-minute consultation.
Here is what the process typically looks like:
- Psychoeducation — Understanding why your nervous system responded the way it did. This alone reduces shame significantly.
- Stabilization — Building grounding tools and coping resources so you feel safe before deeper processing begins.
- Trauma Reprocessing — Using evidence-based methods to reduce the emotional charge attached to the memory, so it loses its power over your daily life.
The gold-standard method for that third stage is EMDR, endorsed by the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association as a first-line treatment for trauma and PTSD.
Karem Smith, LMFT at EMDR Healing Therapy is fully EMDRIA-Certified — a credential that requires years of post-licensure training, supervised clinical hours, and rigorous consultation beyond basic EMDR training. She earned her certification in 2021, building on initial EMDR training completed in 2018.
Sessions are available in-person in San Diego and via secure telehealth across California. Mothers in La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Bernardo, and beyond access care from wherever they are most comfortable.
Ready to understand what happened and finally move past it?
Call us (858) 289-0671 or Book your free 15-minute consultation.
