Can EMDR Help Me Stop Getting Angry at My Kids?
How EMDR Therapy Supports Overwhelmed Parents and Expands Your Window of Tolerance
Parenting is one of the most beautiful and meaningful parts of life—
And also, one of the most emotionally triggering.
You can love your child deeply and still feel overwhelmed, overstimulated, or reactive.
You can want to be the calm, grounded parent—and still find yourself snapping, shutting down, or yelling.
If you’ve ever been in the middle of juggling a hundred things—laundry, work emails, dinner plans—and your child has a meltdown…
You might know that moment when sitting calmly with them feels impossible.
And afterward, maybe the shame hits: “Why did I react like that?”
“I don’t want to parent this way.”
You’re not a bad parent. You’re a human with a nervous system.
And EMDR therapy can help.
Why Am I So Triggered by My Kids?
Often, the moments that spark anger, reactivity, or shutdown in parenting aren’t just about what’s happening now.
They’re tied to old patterns, past wounds, and nervous system overload.
If you grew up with chaos, unpredictability, or emotional invalidation…
If you learned to suppress your needs or stay hyper-alert…
If you never had models for repair, regulation, or rest…
Then your window of tolerance may be narrow.
In parenting, this shows up as:
Snapping at your child for “little” things
Shutting down when they need your attention
Feeling overstimulated or on edge by noise, mess, or emotions
Wanting to be present, but feeling emotionally flooded
What Is the Window of Tolerance?
Your window of tolerance is the emotional range where your nervous system feels safe and regulated.
When you're inside that window, you can respond with patience and presence.
But when you’re outside it—because of stress, triggers, or old wounds—you might move into:
Fight (irritability, yelling, controlling)
Flight (anxiety, perfectionism, fixing)
Freeze (numbness, checking out)
Fawn (people-pleasing, over-accommodating)
How EMDR Helps with Parenting Triggers
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy designed to help the brain reprocess past experiences that still affect how we feel and react today.
Here’s how EMDR therapy helps parents:
✅ Identifies and targets root triggers—so you’re not reacting from your own childhood pain
✅ Expands your window of tolerance—helping you stay more present and less reactive
✅ Shifts negative beliefs like “I’m failing,” “I’m a bad mom,” or “I’ll never get this right”
✅ Supports nervous system regulation—so you can access calm more quickly
✅ Heals relational wounds—so your reactions don’t get passed down
Instead of just learning how to manage your reactions, EMDR helps you transform the internal patterns that fuel them.
You Deserve to Parent From a Regulated Place
You don’t have to keep parenting from a place of survival.
You don’t have to carry the patterns you grew up with.
You can rewire your nervous system—and repair when things go sideways.
EMDR doesn’t make you a perfect parent.
But it can make it easier to be the kind of parent you want to be—more present, more grounded, more connected.
Want Support?
I offer EMDR therapy for parents navigating trauma, emotional reactivity, and nervous system dysregulation.
My virtual practice serves adults throughout California and Nevada—and I specialize in working with those who want to break generational cycles and feel more regulated in their daily lives.
📍 Learn more or schedule a consultation at: www.MyEMDRLA.com
Michelle Nosrati, LCSW
Trauma Specialist | EMDR Therapist
Licensed in California & Nevada
Secure Telehealth Services Available
www.MyEMDRLA.com