If you’re struggling with trauma, anxiety, depression, or addiction, there is help available. With EMDR therapy, your traumatic memories are the target. Temporary eye movements paired with the guided therapy supports emotional healing. At DeNovo Recovery in St. Joseph, Missouri, we have EMDR therapy within our care options. Levels of care include co-occurring disorder therapies, residential, and outpatient programs.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy is a structured form of psychotherapy created by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. EDMR was created to help people heal from deeply rooted emotional pain. By using bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, EMDR allows individuals to revisit traumatic memories in a controlled and safe environment. This helps the brain reprocess and store them in a less distressing way. This technique has become a widely accepted and effective method for reducing the lasting impact of trauma. It has also shown signs of improving emotional resilience.
Rather than simply talking about painful memories, EMDR therapy uses techniques like guided eye movements to actively engage both sides of the brain. This process supports the brain in reprocessing those memories more effectively and helps reduce their emotional impact. This dual stimulation helps the brain reprocess those memories in a new way. So those memories no longer feel as overwhelming or emotionally charged. Over time, many people begin to feel safer, more balanced, and more in control of their emotional responses.
What Does EMDR Therapy Help?
PTSD and Trauma
EMDR therapy is most commonly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This includes trauma from military service, childhood abuse, car accidents, and natural disasters. The therapy helps to neutralize the negative emotional effects tied to these traumatic memories.
Anxiety and Depression
For individuals experiencing persistent anxiety or depression, EMDR therapy can uncover the root causes—often unprocessed memories—and help reduce symptoms. By reprocessing these memories, emotional responses are recalibrated, improving overall well-being.
Addiction and Substance Abuse
Addictions often develop as a way to cope with emotional pain or trauma. EMDR therapy at DeNovo Recovery supports addictions treatment by helping clients address the underlying trauma that fuels substance use. It provides a path forward by resolving past pain instead of simply managing symptoms.
Co-Occurring Disorders
When mental health conditions like PTSD, anxiety, or depression occur alongside addiction, EMDR therapy can address both simultaneously. This dual approach makes it highly effective for individuals with co-occurring disorders.
Eating Disorders and Other Conditions
EMDR therapy can help people with eating disorders or compulsive behaviors, especially when these issues are tied to past trauma or emotional neglect. It supports healing by working through those painful memories and helping to ease the emotional burden they create. EMDR therapy focuses on the painful experiences that may be fueling these behaviors. It helps people face them in a safe way. This process can make it easier to break free from unhealthy cycles and begin building a healthier relationship with themselves.
What Does EMDR Therapy Do?
EMDR therapy helps reprocess traumatic or distressing memories so they no longer cause emotional disruption. It works by:
- Reducing the vividness and emotional impact of traumatic memories
- Helping clients make new, healthier associations with past experiences
- Allowing for more adaptive emotional responses
This method promotes healing in the brain’s memory networks, transforming how clients perceive and react to past events.
Why Is There a Controversy With EMDR?
Despite its growing acceptance, EMDR therapy has sparked controversy. Critics argue that the eye movements are unnecessary, questioning whether bilateral stimulation is responsible for the therapy’s effectiveness. Some believe it’s simply the exposure to trauma, similar to cognitive behavioral therapy, that provides the benefit.
Yet, research continues to validate EMDR therapy as a powerful tool in trauma recovery. Numerous studies show that EMDR can significantly reduce PTSD symptoms and improve emotional functioning. The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes it as an effective treatment for PTSD. This recognition helps reinforce EMDR’s standing as a credible and evidence-based approach within the mental health field.
Who Is EMDR Not Appropriate For?
While EMDR therapy has helped many people heal from trauma, it isn’t the right fit for everyone. There are some situations or mental health conditions where EMDR might cause more harm than good. That’s why it’s important for a trained clinician to carefully evaluate whether the therapy is appropriate and safe before beginning treatment. Conditions that EDMR should not be used to treat are:
- Active psychosis or dissociation
- Severe cognitive impairments
- Unstable medical conditions
Clients need to have a certain level of emotional stability before beginning EMDR, as the process can bring up intense feelings and memories. At DeNovo Recovery, our team takes the time to assess each person’s mental and emotional readiness for EMDR therapy. We want every client to feel supported and prepared before beginning the healing process.
What Are the Negative Outcomes of EMDR?
Most people who try EMDR therapy notice positive changes, but it isn’t without potential challenges. Some individuals may experience negative outcomes, such as:
- Temporary increase in distressing memories
- Vivid dreams or emotional discomfort
- Fatigue after sessions
These side effects are typically mild and short-lived, often fading as therapy continues and the brain begins to heal. Our trained staff check in regularly with each client to see how they’re feeling and responding to the therapy. We offer encouragement and support throughout the process to help ensure that each session feels safe and as beneficial as possible.
What Disorder Is EMDR Most Commonly Used to Treat?
PTSD is the primary condition treated using EMDR therapy. Individuals with PTSD, including military veterans and survivors of assault or loss, often find relief through EMDR’s reprocessing techniques. This therapy helps them work through traumatic experiences in a meaningful way.
However, it’s also effective for a variety of other mental health conditions, especially when trauma underlies emotional distress.
Is EMDR Just Hypnosis?
While both EMDR therapy and hypnosis involve altered states of awareness, they are fundamentally different. EMDR keeps individuals alert and engaged throughout the process. Clients remain in control, processing traumatic memories actively. Unlike hypnosis, EMDR does not suggest or implant ideas but works to reorganize existing memory networks.
EMDR Therapy in Missouri at DeNovo Recovery
At DeNovo Recovery, we provide professional EMDR therapy as a portfolio of addiction treatment and mental health services. We help clients find meaningful relief and lasting healing through evidence-based therapy and treatment. Our trained therapists specialize in trauma-informed therapy. In your healing journey, DeNovo Recovery can help you deal with pain. We can help you take your life back through EMDR therapy.
Whether you are at the beginning of your recovery journey or you have been invested in your recovery for some time, EMDR therapy can offer you meaningful relief. EDMR can help you move forward from your current state while alleviating the burden of your past trauma and emotional pain.
Find Healing Through EMDR Therapy
EMDR therapy is helping people overcome emotional pain caused by PTSD, addiction, and other challenges. It’s making healing feel possible again for many. Many individuals report feeling lighter, more present, and better equipped to handle everyday life after completing EMDR sessions. And now, it’s available to you in Missouri.
Take the next step with DeNovo Recovery. Contact our team today to learn more about how EMDR therapy can be part of your healing.
FAQs
What is EMDR therapy?
EMDR therapy is a psychotherapy method that helps reprocess traumatic memories using bilateral stimulation like guided eye movements.
What does EMDR therapy do?
EMDR therapy reduces the emotional charge of distressing memories, helping individuals heal from trauma and improve emotional regulation.
Why is there a controversy with EMDR?
Some experts question whether eye movements are necessary or if EMDR is simply a form of exposure therapy. However, research supports its effectiveness.
What disorder is EMDR most commonly used to treat?
EMDR is most commonly used to treat PTSD, but it’s also effective for anxiety, depression, addiction, and other mental health conditions.
What are the negative outcomes of EMDR?
Temporary emotional discomfort, vivid dreams, or increased distress may occur early in treatment but typically decrease as healing continues.