Renova Therapy
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Charlotte, NC · Virtual across North Carolina
Trauma Therapy and EMDR in Charlotte, NC
Trauma is not only what happened. It is how what happened still shows up: in your body, in your relationships, in how safe an ordinary Tuesday feels, and in the parts of your life you have quietly built around avoiding it.
At Renova Therapy I offer trauma informed care, including EMDR, to help clients in Charlotte and across North Carolina process difficult experiences at a pace that stays safe.
I am Natalie Forouzad, LCSW, founder of Renova Therapy. I am trained in EMDR and work with clients ages 17 and up, in person at my Charlotte office and virtually anywhere in North Carolina.
Many of the people who reach out have already done a lot of work. They have read about trauma, they can explain their own patterns, and they have sat in talk therapy long enough to understand where it all comes from. What they have not gotten is relief. Understanding why you flinch does not stop you from flinching. That gap between insight and change is what this work is built for.
What trauma actually looks like
Trauma does not always look like the dramatic version. Plenty of people who carry it are steady, capable, and good in a crisis. It tends to show up in quieter ways:
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Startling hard at small things, then feeling embarrassed about it
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Going numb or blank in moments that should feel like something
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Bracing in your shoulders, jaw, or stomach for no reason you can name
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Avoiding certain places, people, or conversations without quite admitting that is what you are doing
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Trouble trusting calm, as if something has to be wrong for you to feel normal
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Overreacting in a relationship and then not recognizing yourself afterward
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Sleep that never quite lands, or dreams that leave you tired
If several of those are just how your week goes, that is worth paying attention to. It does not have to come from one big event. A long stretch of small, unsafe experiences does the same thing.
Who I work with
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Single incident trauma such as accidents, medical events, assault, and loss
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Complex trauma and childhood trauma
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PTSD and post-traumatic stress symptoms
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Trauma inside family or romantic relationships
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Emotional neglect, where nothing obvious happened and it still left a mark
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Anxiety, panic, or depression that sits on top of an older wound
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Clients who have done talk therapy and still feel stuck
How I approach trauma
Trauma lives in the nervous system as much as in memory. Talking about what happened helps you understand it, but it does not always change how your body responds to it. So I work at both levels, and I draw on more than one method because no single approach fits every person.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. A structured, evidence-based method that uses bilateral stimulation, usually guided eye movements, while you hold a difficult memory in mind. The goal is not to erase the memory. It is to let your brain finish processing it so it stops carrying the same charge.
Somatic therapy
For the physical side of trauma: the bracing, the shutdown, the startle response that fires before you have a thought about it. Breath, movement, and tracking sensation help your nervous system come out of alarm instead of living there.
Parts work
Based on Internal Family Systems. The protective patterns that formed around what happened are still running long after they were needed. Instead of fighting them, we get curious about what they are guarding and what they need in order to stand down.
Person-centered care
You set the direction and the pace. Nothing here is about forcing you to relive anything. We move at the speed your nervous system can handle, and you can slow down, pause, or change direction at any point.
What our work together looks like
Your first full session is mostly me listening. We talk about what brought you in, what you have already tried, how what happened still affects a normal week, and what you would want to be different. You do not have to tell me the whole story on day one, and you never have to tell me all of it in detail.
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Before any reprocessing begins, we spend time on stabilization. That means building real tools to regulate yourself, so that when we do go somewhere difficult you have a way back. Some clients spend several sessions here, and that is not a delay. It is the part that makes the rest of the work safe.
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From there, EMDR sessions follow a clear structure. We pick a target memory, notice what your body does with it, and use bilateral stimulation to let your brain move through it. You stay in control the whole time. Most people notice the memory feels further away, less sharp, or simply finished. Then we look at what belief it left behind and work on that.
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You will not leave every session feeling great. Some of the useful ones are tiring. But you should leave most of them feeling like something shifted.
In person in Charlotte, virtual across North Carolina
I see clients in person at my Charlotte office and virtually anywhere in North Carolina, including Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Asheville, and Wilmington.
Virtual EMDR is well established and works. Bilateral stimulation adapts to a video session through on-screen guidance or self-administered tapping, and the preparation and processing phases are the same. For some clients it works better, because being in their own space makes it easier to settle afterward.
If you are local and want the in person option, that is available too. Some clients do a mix.
When I am not the right fit
I would rather tell you this up front than three sessions in.
I am not a prescriber, so if medication is part of your plan you would work with a psychiatrist or your primary care doctor alongside therapy. I work with ages 17 and up, so I am not the right person for younger clients. And if you are in active crisis, or currently in a situation that is still unsafe, weekly outpatient EMDR is not the first step. I will say so and help you find the right level of care rather than take you on before you are ready.
The free consultation exists partly so we can catch that early.
Getting started
Every new client starts with a free 15 minute consultation over telehealth. It is there for your questions, and so we can both decide this is a good fit before you book a first session. You do not need to know whether what happened to you counts as trauma. If it still affects you, it is worth talking about.
Common questions
Do I have to describe my trauma in detail?
No. EMDR needs far less verbal detail than most talk therapy. You can work on a memory without narrating it to me. Most clients find that a relief.
How many EMDR sessions will I need?
Single incident trauma can resolve in a handful of reprocessing sessions once preparation is done. Complex or childhood trauma takes longer, and the preparation phase is part of the work. We map out realistic expectations early rather than leaving it open ended.
Can EMDR be done virtually?
Yes. Virtual EMDR is well established, and I offer it anywhere in North Carolina.
What ages do you work with?
Ages 17 and up.
Is EMDR safe if I have never been in therapy before?
Yes, with proper preparation. Stabilization always comes first, and we do not start reprocessing until you have tools to regulate.
Is this covered by insurance?
I am in network with Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield, and HSA and FSA funds are accepted. Full details are on the Fees and Insurance page.
What if I have tried therapy before and it did not help?
That is common, and it is worth telling me in the consultation. Talk therapy alone leaves some people understanding their trauma without feeling any different. EMDR and somatic work are often what closes that gap.
What if I am not sure what happened to me counts as trauma?
Bring it to the consultation. Trauma is defined by its effect on you, not by how it would sound to someone else. If it still affects you, it counts.
Start with a conversation
A free 15 minute consultation is where we figure out whether EMDR fits what you are carrying. Nothing gets decided before that.
704-448-6673 · renovanatalie@gmail.com