EMDR Therapy in McKinney, Texas
Overcome Trauma with EMDR
The memories, shame, and questions about your worth that you’ve been holding inside have been showing up in your life—maybe as exhaustion, physical pain, or waves of panic you can’t explain. Through our work together, we’ll gently explore these pieces and the weight they carry, helping you let go of what no longer serves you and reconnect with the parts of yourself you thought you’d lost.
What Is EMDR Therapy
EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy. It has been extensively researched and is recognized as one of the most effective treatments for trauma by mental health organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
How Does EMDR Help with PTSD, Trauma and more?
Traumatic and upsetting memories or events, like emotional neglect, can become "frozen" in our minds and bodies. When a memory is stuck, it plays on repeat, like a broken record, affecting our ability to function and move forward. This often leads to feeling stuck, struggling to form healthy relationships, focus at work, or take care of ourselves. Though part of your brain knows you’re safe, another part doesn’t, causing inner conflict.
EMDR helps connect the truth between your mind and body, allowing you to process past pain and embrace the present with calm and security. After EMDR therapy, many clients experience relief, remembering painful events without emotional disturbance, and freeing up energy to focus on daily tasks, goals, and dreams.
What can EMDR therapy be used for?
In addition to its use for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, EMDR helps treat:
Anxiety, Stress and Panic
Phobias & Fears
Complicated Grief and Loss
Addictive Behaviors
Eating Disorders
Chronic Pain / Medical Trauma
Performance Anxiety
Depression
Self-Confidence and Self Esteem
Relationship Issues
Childhood Emotional Neglect
Shame and Guilt
Resolving Trauma Memories and Images
Fears Of Being Alone
Speak with a licensed therapist trained in EMDR to discover how it could be tailored to your unique needs.
How EMDR Therapy Provides Relief from PTSD, Trauma, and Anxiety
Learn about how EMDR therapy works, what it is like, and how widely it is recognized. EMDR therapists discuss how EMDR therapy works and the feedback they receive from clients. This video from 2019 lists membership numbers and titles at the time of publication.
EMDR and Your Brain
EMDR was founded in 1987 by Dr. Francine Shapiro. While she was studying as a graduate student, she discovered the therapy method while she was walking in a park. By moving her eyes quickly back and forth while focusing on negative thoughts, Shapiro noticed that the disturbance decreased.
Shaprio decided to put some more effort into researching what exactly happened with different eyes movements and their effect on thoughts, thus creating Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.
In order to comprehend how EMDR works in the brain, we need to examine its effect on specific regions. You will be familiar with all of these brain regions if you have been one of my clients.
The Amygdala
Often referred to as the brain's alarm system, the amygdala prompts fear responses to perceived threats or stressful events. During EMDR sessions, clients focus on traumatic memories while undergoing sets of side-to-side eye movements, sounds, or tapping. Research suggests that these eye movements quiet down the amygdala and reduce fear responses associated with traumatic memories. This is why EMDR therapy is successful for conditions rooted in anxiety and fear.
The Hippocampus
The Hippocampus responsible for making new memories and processing information from short-term to long-term memory, but the hippocampus also manages what’s safe and dangerous. As a result of trauma, the hippocampus' volume can be reduced, impairing its function. EMDR therapy has been proven to help people recover from traumatic experiences and increase the volume of their hippocampus, a part of the brain that’s crucial for memory. Since depression is associated with a shrinking hippocampus, EMDR therapy could also be an effective treatment for depression.
The Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex, responsible for behavior and emotion regulation, may play a crucial role in EMDR therapy's effectiveness. Research suggests that EMDR may reduce over-activation of the prefrontal cortex during trauma recall and promote increased grey matter volume and improved function. These findings indicate that EMDR therapy for children could enhance emotional regulation, confidence, and self-esteem.
What Is Bilateral Stimulation in EMDR Therapy and How It Works
Throughout her career, Dr. Shapiro has argued that bilateral eye movements are effective due to brain processes similar to Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. In theory, the repeated redirection of attention caused by the side-to-side eye movements, makes traumatic and emotionally charged memories seem less threatening and less overwhelming. As a result, the hippocampus and the amygdala reduce the power of memory and the negative emotions it transmits.
How EMDR Therapy Works in Practice for Trauma Recovery
In practice, your therapist will follow a detailed protocol to guide you through the process of reducing and eliminating negative emotions associated with your traumatic memories, before moving on to identifying positive cognitions, such as going from a fear of flying to believing that it is a very safe mode of travel. By moving through your past memories and the present disturbances related to them, you can move forward positively.
"Processing" experiences doesn't necessarily mean talking about them. It's creating a state that allows traumatic experiences to be digested and stored properly in the brain. Useful information from your experiences is learned, and negative reactions are released.
Frequently Asked EMDR Therapy Questions
How does EMDR work?
EMDR facilitates trauma processing by engaging bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, to help reprocess distressing memories, allowing individuals to integrate them into adaptive memory networks.
How Many Sessions Will It Take
EMDR therapy typically consists of six to 12 sessions, with some individuals needing fewer or more sessions depending on the severity and complexity of their trauma. Those with less integrated traumatic memories may require shorter treatment durations, while individuals with complex trauma histories may need additional therapy, including preparatory work in the initial phases of EMDR.
Is EMDR therapy safe?
Yes, EMDR therapy is considered safe when conducted by a trained therapist. It follows structured protocols to ensure client safety and effectiveness in trauma processing.
What is EMDR?
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a psychotherapy approach that helps individuals process distressing memories and associated emotions to alleviate symptoms of trauma-related conditions.
How long are EMDR sessions?
EMDR sessions typically last 60 to 90 minutes. However, session duration may vary based on individual needs, therapeutic progress, and clinician discretion.
Is EMDR hypnosis?
No, EMDR is NOT hypnosis. It's a structured therapy approach grounded in evidence-based protocols, focusing on trauma reprocessing rather than inducing a hypnotic state.
Is EMDR therapy effective?
Yes, EMDR therapy is empirically validated and widely recognized as effective in rapidly treating trauma-related conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression, with research showing significant symptom reduction.
Start Your Path To Healing With EMDR Therapy.
Are you still curious about EMDR? We get it, you want to know the research and the facts. Read about The Eight Phases of EMDR Therapy by reading our blog about How EMDR Transforms the Treatment of Trauma and Trauma-Informed Therapy here. Our blogs on EMDR explains how EMDR can help you feel more calm, grounded, secure and confident in your life.
Our offices are located in McKinney, Texas and we offer in-person and virtual session to clients across Texas & Washington State.