EMDR Therapy in Austin
Struggling with trauma, PTSD, or anxiety? Austin DBT Associates provides specialized EMDR Therapy in Austin to help you break free. Our licensed therapists offer a proven path to reprocess painful memories and move forward with confidence.
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is a type of psychotherapy that helps people heal from trauma and other distressing life experiences.
EMDR has been researched extensively and has proven to be effective for the treatment of PTSD, trauma, panic attacks, anxiety, eating disorders, and many other distresses.
EMDR can treat many types of mental distress and may produce faster results than traditional talk therapy.
What Issues Can EMDR Therapy Help You Overcome?
EMDR is known for its incredible success in healing PTSD with remission rates as high as 77%. EMDR is a powerful approach that can bring relief to a wide range of challenges. EMDR can offer a clear and hopeful path forward for:
- Performance Anxiety
- Personality Disorders
- PTSD
- Phobias
- Sexual and Physical Abuse
- Panic attacks
- Eating Disorders
- Stress Reduction
- Complicated Grief
- Pain Disorders
- Body Dysmorphic Disorders
- Dissociation & Dissociative Disorders
Your mind has a natural ability to heal, just as your body recovers from a physical wound. Let’s explore together if EMDR might be the path to healing you’ve been looking for. Our Austin EMDR specialists are here to help you determine if it’s the right fit for you.
What Makes EMDR Therapy Unique?
The goal of EMDR is to help you process difficult information and experiences in a different way. Each session aims to impart you with positive emotions, deeper understanding, and a healthier outlook, supporting your journey towards healing and growth.
All of our EMDR clinicians are trained under a certified EMDRIA-approved program.
Our counselors will help you heal and address any negative reactions to your environment that are affecting your life.
How Our EMDR Therapy Process Works
We understand that starting a new therapy can feel overwhelming. That’s why we provide a clear and structured path forward. Our EMDR process is a gentle, collaborative journey designed to keep you safe and in control from your first session to your last. Here is the step-by-step process you can expect:
History & Treatment Planning
Your journey begins with a compassionate conversation about your experiences. Together, we’ll create a personalized roadmap for your healing, collaboratively identifying the target memories you wish to address in a safe and supportive space.
Preparation
Before processing begins, we empower you with a toolkit of calming and grounding techniques. This step ensures you have the resources to feel safe, centered, and in complete control throughout your healing journey.
Assessment
Together, we activate the target for the session. We’ll pinpoint the specific memory, the negative belief it created (like “I am not safe”), and the positive, empowering belief you want to instill instead (like “I am in control now”).
Desensitization
This is where the transformative work happens. While you hold the memory in mind, your therapist will guide you through bilateral stimulation (like eye movements). This process helps your brain reprocess the memory, allowing the painful emotions to naturally fade and lose their power.
Installation
Once the distress has faded, we focus on strengthening your desired positive belief. We work to fully integrate this new, empowering belief until it feels completely true and deeply rooted in both your mind and body.
Body Scan
Trauma can be held physically. Your EMDR therapist will guide you through a focused body scan to identify and release any lingering physical tension connected to the memory, ensuring the healing is complete on every level.
Closure
Every session concludes with dedicated time for closure. We use grounding exercises to ensure you leave our office feeling calm, stable, and contained, regardless of where we are in the process. Your safety is our top priority.
Re-evaluation
At the beginning of your next session, we check in on the memory we processed. We’ll confirm that the distress remains low and the new positive belief is holding strong, ensuring that the changes are lasting.
Will EMDR Therapy Re-Trigger My Trauma?
It’s a common fear that trauma therapy will force you to intensely relive your worst experiences. EMDR therapy was specifically designed to avoid this.
Its power lies in its structure. Unlike traditional talk therapies that can require a detailed rehashing of events, EMDR helps your brain reprocess memories without needing you to linger in the distress. Your therapist carefully guides each session, ensuring the pace is always comfortable for you. While emotions may surface, they are typically brief. If you ever feel overwhelmed, your therapist has specific techniques to immediately help you feel grounded and secure
Are There Side Effects to EMDR Therapy?
EMDR is an active and effective therapy, so it’s natural for it to stir up emotions as your brain heals. Some clients report feeling emotionally tired, having vivid dreams, or noticing a temporary increase in sensitivity to others and their environment. We encourage you to see these not as side effects, but as normal signs that your brain is actively processing and moving toward healing.
You may also find that new memories or feelings surface between sessions. This is a common part of the journey, and it’s something we prepare for together. To us, the first priority is your safety. We will help you build a toolkit of grounding tools and coping strategies, like creating a “safe place” visualization, to ensure you feel centered, safe, and supported throughout the entire process.
Why Choose Austin DBT Associates for EMDR Therapy?
At Austin DBT Associates, our entire clinical team and therapeutic model are specifically designed to help you heal from the most difficult experiences of your life.
Our EMDR therapists bring decades of combined experience, not just in EMDR, but in the complex interplay between trauma, emotion, and behavior. We don’t just follow a simple protocol, we create a personalized, collaborative plan that honors your unique story. From our office to our flexible scheduling, every element of our practice is designed to remove barriers and create a place of unwavering safety and support.
This isn’t just a service we offer. This is our life’s work.
Meet Our EMDR Therapists in Austin
Our EMDR therapists combine expertise and compassion to guide you through trauma recovery. With our support, you can process painful experiences, build resilience, and move toward lasting healing and growth.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We understand that considering a new path to healing brings up important questions. Your peace of mind is our priority, and we want you to feel clear and confident every step of the way. To help, we have answered some of the most common questions we hear about EMDR therapy.
Who should not use EMDR therapy?
While EMDR is very safe, it isn’t the right fit for everyone, especially those with psychosis, or severe dissociation. A thorough consultation with a certified EMDR therapist is the essential first step. They will carefully review your history to determine if this is the safest and best path for you right now.
How long does EMDR therapy take?
While individual EMDR therapy sessions typically last 60-90 minutes, the overall length of your healing journey is unique to you. Some people feel a significant shift after just a few sessions, while others with more complex histories may benefit from a longer journey.
Is EMDR therapy effective for all types of trauma?
EMDR is one of the most effective, research-backed therapies for trauma, but it is not the right solution for every person in every situation. This is why the first step is always a thoughtful conversation with a skilled therapist.
How does EMDR help you get through difficult memories that might come up?
EMDR is designed so you never get lost in a difficult memory. The bilateral stimulation (like the eye movements) helps you keep one foot firmly planted in the safety of the present while you simply observe the memory from a distance. You are not reliving your trauma, you are safely reprocessing it.
Your Journey to Healing Begins Here
We know how heavy the past can feel, but you don’t have to carry it alone. When you’re ready, the next step is simply a caring conversation about how we can help you heal.
The average initial intake assessment fee is $150.