EMDR and Trauma Therapy

Evidence-Based Trauma Care From a Harvard-Trained Psychiatrist

Trauma changes how the brain processes danger, emotions, and relationships. It can leave you feeling on edge, shut down, or stuck in memories you can’t fully move past. You may be exhausted from holding it all together on the outside while feeling overwhelmed on the inside.

I’m Dr. Adam Henderson, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and psychotherapist specializing in trauma, PTSD, and complex trauma. I help people understand their nervous system, feel safer in their bodies, and rebuild a sense of connection—to themselves and to others.

Whether your trauma stems from childhood experiences, medical events, relationships, or single-incident events, my goal is to help you heal without feeling rushed, judged, or pathologized.

My Approach to Trauma Treatment: A calm, steady, relational space

Trauma often happens in the context of disconnection. Meaningful healing usually happens through connection. I work at your pace, helping you understand symptoms, respond to triggers, and build a more regulated baseline.

Focused on your whole story—not just symptoms

PTSD shows up in many ways: anxiety, panic, irritability, emotional numbness, shame, relationship conflict, or a sense of being “stuck.” We explore these experiences through an integrated lens grounded in neuroscience, attachment, and the mind–body connection.

Evidence-based, flexible, and personalized

I tailor treatment to you rather than forcing you into a rigid protocol. Approaches may include:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
  Effective for single-incident trauma, complex trauma, medical trauma, and attachment wounds.

• Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT)
  Helps you understand thoughts, feelings, and reactions in the moment—bringing clarity where trauma once created confusion or self-blame.

• DBT-informed strategies
  For emotion regulation, grounding, and stabilizing intense symptoms.

• Attachment-focused and relational therapies
  Supporting safe connection and reducing patterns rooted in earlier experiences.

• Medication management (if helpful)
  Thoughtful, evidence-based prescribing for PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, or dissociation.

Symptoms of Trauma and PTSD I Help Treat

Many people come to me saying “I’m not sure if this is trauma,” but they recognize pieces of themselves in the symptoms below:

• Chronic anxiety or hypervigilance

• Feeling emotionally numb, disconnected, or “not like myself”

• Flashbacks or intrusive memories

• Overwhelming shame or self-criticism

• Difficulty trusting others or maintaining relationships

• Sudden emotional shifts or irritability

• Avoiding reminders of the past

• Trouble sleeping or chronic fatigue

• Perfectionism and people-pleasing patterns

• Feeling unsafe even in safe environments

If these resonate, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate them without support.

Who I Work With

I specialize in helping:

• Adults with PTSD or complex trauma

• Professionals struggling with burnout, medical trauma, or chronic stress

• People with trauma related to relationships, parenting, or early life experiences

• Individuals who have tried therapy before but still feel stuck

• People who want the depth of therapy with the expertise of a psychiatrist

My practice is LGBTQ+ affirming, neurodiversity-affirming, and culturally responsive.

What Healing Looks Like

Trauma treatment is not about forgetting the past—it’s about freeing you from the past.

Together, we work toward:

• Feeling calmer and more grounded

• Fewer intrusive memories or emotional triggers

• Stronger relationships and clearer boundaries

• Reduced shame and increased self-compassion

• More flexible, stable emotional patterns

• A deeper sense of identity and control

• The ability to respond rather than react

Most people describe the work as “feeling more like myself again.”

Why Work With a Psychiatrist Specializing in Trauma?

Many clients come to me after years of receiving fragmented care—therapy in one place, medications in another, and no one connecting the dots. I provide an integrated approach:

• Therapy + medication in one place

• Deep expertise in PTSD, dissociation, and complex trauma

• Training in EMDR, MBT, DBT, and trauma-informed psychodynamic therapy

• Experience treating high-acuity trauma cases at McLean Hospital

• A warm, steady style that helps people feel safe and unblamed

You deserve care that sees the full picture—not just your symptoms.