Healing From Traumatic Experiences
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a psychotherapy treatment that is effective for resolving emotional difficulties caused by disturbing, difficult, or frightening life experiences. When children, teens, or adults are traumatized, have upsetting experiences or repeated failures, they lose a sense of control over their lives. This can result in symptoms of anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, guilt, and/or behavior problems. Events such as accidents, abuse, violence, death and natural disasters are traumatic, but we do not always recognize the ways they affect and influence a child's everyday life. Even common upsetting childhood events, such as a divorce, school problems, peer difficulties, failures and family problems can deeply affect a person's sense of security, self-esteem and development.
Phases of EMDR Therapy
Phases 1 & 2
1. History Taking & Treatment Planning
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The therapist learns about your background, current symptoms, and important life experiences. Together, you identify targets for treatment such as traumatic memories, current triggers, or negative beliefs. This phase also helps determine whether EMDR is a good fit and what pace feels safe.
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2. Preparation
The therapist explains how EMDR works and what sessions may feel like. You build coping skills such as grounding, relaxation, and containment strategies so you can manage distress between sessions. Trust and safety in the therapeutic relationship are especially important here.
Phases 3 & 4
3. Assessment
A specific memory or target is chosen for processing. You identify the image connected to it, the negative belief (for example, “I’m powerless”), the emotion, body sensations, and a preferred positive belief (“I’m in control now”). These become the roadmap for reprocessing.
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4. Desensitization
You focus on the target memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, taps, or tones). The brain begins processing the memory in a new way, often reducing distress over time. Thoughts, emotions, and sensations may shift as new associations emerge.
Phases 5 & 6
5. Installation
Once distress has lowered, the therapist helps strengthen the positive belief connected to the memory. Bilateral stimulation is used while focusing on that healthier belief. This helps the new perspective feel more believable and emotionally true.
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6. Body Scan
You think about the memory and notice any lingering tension or discomfort in the body. Trauma can remain stored physically, so unresolved sensations are important signals. If distress remains, more processing may occur until the body feels calmer.
Phases 7 & 8
7. Closure
Every session ends with stabilization, whether or not processing is complete. The therapist helps you return to a grounded state and may review coping tools for the week ahead. You may also be asked to notice dreams, emotions, or insights between sessions.
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8. Reevaluation
At the next session, the therapist checks how the previously targeted memory feels now. They assess whether gains have held, whether more work is needed, or whether new targets have emerged. This keeps treatment responsive and progress-focused.
EMDR FAQs
Working through traumatic and distressing past experiences is the hardest work you or your child will ever do. Animal Heart Play Therapy specializes in trauma treatment. Below are some common questions about EMDR.
How do you adapt EMDR for kids and teens?
For children and teens, it is often beneficial to blend EMDR with play therapy or sand tray therapy to provide the ability to externally process. Children will use toys to go back into target memories and teens will create sand tray scenes or drawings about the memories. I completed my training in EMDR with Playful EMDR - an organization that specializes in how to adapt EMDR to work with children and teens. Adults often prefer to externally process in these ways as well!
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What is dual attention or bilateral stimulation? What options are there?
Dual Attention Stimulation (DAS) refers to the use of alternating, right-left tracking that may take form of eye movements, tones or music delivered to each ear or tactile stimulation, such as alternating hand taps. In processing distressing memories, this helps you split attention between the "here and now" and the "past." This is done intentionally to regulate the nervous system. Creative alternatives have been developed for children that incorporate DAS, through the use of puppets, stories, dance, art, and even swimming. There are also wireless buzzers that can be placed in each pocket while doing EMDR.
How long and how often are the sessions?
Sessions typically last 50-55 minutes. For consistency and the best therapeutic outcome, we usually recommend meeting once per week, especially in the beginning stages of therapy. Not every session will be a session where memories are processed.
Do parents join the therapy sessions?
Parents often join with children and teens as an important resource in processing traumatic memories. I will work with you to prepare to be a part of the process and coach you along the way on how to best support.
What about pricing and insurance?
To be as accessible as possible, Animal Heart Play Therapy currently accepts Anthem/Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, UMR, Aetna, Cigna, Rocky Mountain Health Plans Medicaid, Northeast Health Partners Medicaid, and Colorado Access/CHP+ Medicaid.
At this time, we cannot take Colorado Community Health Alliance Medicaid or Kaiser insurance.
Self-pay rate is $150 for a 55-minute therapy session and good faith estimates will be given before any services.