Trauma | Substance Use | EMDR Therapy in Salem, Oregon

Trauma and EMDR Therapy in Salem, Oregon

You don’t have to be in crisis to begin therapy.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, emotionally numb, stuck in patterns you don’t fully understand, or carrying stress that never seems to turn off — trauma therapy can help you make sense of what’s happening in your body and nervous system, without shame.

I provide trauma & EMDR therapy in Salem, Oregon, with specialty in substance use, through secure telehealth, supporting people who are high-functioning on the outside but struggling internally with anxiety, stress, burnout, or the lingering impact of past experiences.

Therapy for High Functioning Adults

What Trauma & EMDR Therapy Can Help With

Trauma doesn’t always look dramatic or obvious. It often shows up quietly in everyday life:

  • Chronic stress or anxiety

  • Feeling emotionally shut down or disconnected

  • Overworking or over-functioning

  • Difficulty slowing down or resting

  • Relationship patterns that feel familiar but painful

  • Using coping strategies that don’t feel supportive anymore

  • Feeling “on edge” even when things seem okay

Trauma & EMDR therapy in Salem, Oregon focuses on understanding how your nervous system learned to protect you — and how we can gently create new patterns that feel steadier, safer, and more sustainable.

Trauma and EMDR therapy in Salem, Oregon

EMDR & Trauma-Informed Care

EMDR therapy is an evidence-based trauma therapy that helps your brain reprocess stuck or distressing experiences so they no longer run your present. This is an option to utilize if talk therapy has felt “not enough” or “not helpful” in the past.

My approach is compassionate and whole-person focused. Instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?” we explore:

  • what your system has been protecting you from

  • how stress and trauma live in your body

  • why certain coping strategies made sense

  • what it feels like to move out of survival mode

This work is especially supportive for adults who grew up needing to be strong, responsible, or self-reliant — and are ready for something different.

Ready to get started?
Reach out today to schedule a consultation or learn more about what trauma and EMDR therapy in Salem, Oregon with me is like.

Schedule a Consult

Starting Trauma & EMDR Therapy in Salem, Oregon: What It’s Like

If you’ve been functioning for a long time on adrenaline, self-control, or “just pushing through,” starting therapy can feel unfamiliar — even if you’re ready.

In trauma therapy, we don’t treat your symptoms like random problems to fix. We treat them like signals: your nervous system doing its best to protect you based on what it’s lived through.

Early sessions are about getting oriented and supported. We’ll talk about what brings you in now, what feels hardest day-to-day (anxiety, shutdown, irritability, overthinking, numbness, overworking, coping behaviors), and what you’ve already tried. You’ll start learning how trauma and chronic stress shape the brain and body — and why insight alone doesn’t always change the reaction.

If EMDR therapy makes sense for your goals, we’ll prepare thoughtfully before processing. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps reduce the emotional intensity of stuck memories and triggers, so the present stops feeling like the past. The work is paced, collaborative, and grounded — not forced.

You don’t have to “perform” therapy here. You don’t have to tell every detail. You don’t have to relive everything to heal. We focus on helping your nervous system build enough stability that change feels possible — and sustainable.

If you’re searching for trauma therapy or EMDR therapy in Salem, Oregon, and you want an approach that’s practical, compassionate, and body-aware, I’d be honored to support you.

Schedule a consult

More About Services Offered

  • Trauma Therapy

    Trauma therapy can help you make sense of how past experiences are showing up in your emotions, relationships, or sense of safety. Together, we work to calm overwhelm, break patterns that no longer serve you, and build more stability, self-trust, and confidence in moving forward.

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  • Substance Use Therapy

    Substance use therapy is for adults who are struggling with using substances as a way to cope with stress, trauma, or overwhelming emotions. You don’t have to feel ashamed—stopping isn’t simple, and that’s okay. Together, we explore how your mental health and substance use are connected and work toward strategies that support balance, healing, and self-compassion.

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  • EMDR Therapy

    EMDR therapy is a proven approach that helps your brain process distressing or unresolved experiences. It can reduce the emotional intensity of past memories, allowing healing to happen without having to relive or retell every detail of your trauma.

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  • EMDR Intensives

    EMDR Intensives offer focused, extended therapy that fits your life. Rather than weekly 60-minute sessions, these longer appointments allow for deeper processing of single-event or complex trauma. Many clients notice a reduction in triggers, calmer emotional reactions, and real progress in their healing—leaving them feeling lighter, more grounded, and more in control.

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  • Clinical Supervision

    I offer supportive, practical clinical supervision for associate and pre-licensed clinicians who want more than just hour-signing. My approach is collaborative and grounded, with a focus on clinical growth, ethical practice, and helping you feel more confident in the therapy room.

    Supervision is a space to ask questions, talk through real cases, and build clarity—without shame or pressure to have it all figured out. goes here.

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Meet Meghan Hanes, LCSW

Hi, I’m Meghan! I work with people who feel stuck in trauma—replaying the past, reacting in ways that feel out of control, or relying on substances or other coping strategies just to get through the day. These responses make sense, but they can start to feel exhausting or limiting over time.

Using EMDR and trauma-informed talk therapy, I help clients process unresolved experiences, calm the nervous system, and develop healthier ways to cope—without judgment and at a pace that feels safe.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and EMDR-trained trauma therapist offering trauma therapy for adults in Bend, Oregon and across the state. My practice is fully virtual and available to adults (18+) living in Oregon.

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