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EMDR Therapy

EMDR Therapy is a powerful tool to reduce symptoms of trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. It helps the brain to process and heal from life-altering events by unlocking stored memories and promoting psychological flexibility.

Because the memory or memories are not appropriately stored, symptoms persist in the present – nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, depression, and high levels of reactivity. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the diagnosis often given to those who suffer persistent effects of trauma; however, trauma effects can manifest through anxiety and depression as well.

What is EMDR, and how does it work?

The impacts of trauma are pre-cognitive. In the words of Bessel van der Kolk (2014), “the body keeps the score.” Why do we respond so viscerally to certain triggers, no matter how often we tell ourselves our responses are irrational? Because those responses are stored on a deep, neurological level – a level that is pre-rational. Conventional talk therapy can’t touch those responses.

Here’s a quick
video to explain
the process

Those responses are not your fault – they were formed as adaptive measures to ensure your safety when you were threatened or traumatized. But the effects continue to impact your life. Body-oriented, comprehensive trauma therapy – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – is the way to address those traumas, reduce those responses, and massively improve your quality of life. We’ve seen it happen so many times, and we know it can happen for you. It is one of the most-researched and tested forms of therapy, and is one of the few approved evidence-based treatments used by the Veteran’s Administration (VA) to treat PTSD.

EMDR can be used to address almost any mental health symptom – depression, anxiety, shame, or reactions to specific traumas.

EMDR Therapy Questions

EMDR Therapy is an eight-phase treatment that includes history and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation.

Yes, EMDR Therapy is effective in treating various mental health conditions, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies have shown that it is as effective as other trauma-focused therapies, such as exposure therapy, in reducing the symptoms of PTSD.

EMDR Therapy treats PTSD by targeting specific traumatic memories or events in a safe and supportive environment. This therapy helps patients reprocess and integrate these memories, decreasing PTSD symptoms, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety.

EMDR Therapy involves first identifying the traumatic memory or event causing distress. Then, the patient is asked to focus on this memory while undergoing bilateral eye movements or another form of sensory stimulation. This process is repeated until the emotional distress associated with the memory dissipates.

There is extensive research on the efficacy of EMDR Therapy, particularly in treating PTSD. This therapy is as effective as other trauma-focused therapies, with some studies indicating that EMDR may be more effective than exposure therapy in reducing PTSD symptoms.

EMDR Therapy differs from other trauma therapies in that it includes bilateral eye movements or other forms of sensory stimulation. These movements help the brain process traumatic memories more completely and integrated than other therapies.

People with PTSD, phobias, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions associated with trauma can benefit from EMDR Therapy. This therapy is also effective for those who have experienced minor traumas or adverse life experiences that continue to affect their emotional and mental well-being.

EMDR therapy

At Integritas Wellness and Recovery, we offer both weekly EMDR therapy and EMDR intensives. This kind of intensive work allows the processing of trauma and mental health symptoms to progress even more quickly. This approach takes much out of the client and the clinician, so it is only recommended to engage in an intensive once a month at most.

Individual

Psychotherapy:

$200

per hour

For EMDR intensive rates, please see our EMDR intensive page

Let's Begin

We offer a free 30 minute initial consultation to see if we are a good fit.

WE SCHEDULE CLIENTS FROM

EMDR Intensives

For Trauma Recovery

Intensive. Efficient. Effective.