Art therapy + EMDR treatment for anxiety, trauma and eating disorders.

EMDR Therapy

Healing Through Movement: How EMDR Therapy Unlocks the Mind’s Natural Recovery Power

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is an incredible, research-backed treatment for trauma. Francine Shapiro founded it in the late 1980s, and it has helped many people process trauma, minimise anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms, and generally find release from terrible memories.

How Does EMDR Work?

Traumatic experiences create deep and vast neural networks that lead to trapped negative beliefs and distressing emotions, alongside physical sensations. With various bilateral body stimulation options, including eye movement rhythms and light tapping, EMDR starts the brain’s built-in healing process. Through this process, traumatic memories become restorable, leading to minimised emotional responses, thus creating relief while resolving the memories. Below is a more in-depth explanation of the EMDR process.

Process of EMDR

To guarantee complete healing, EMDR therapy conforms to a systematic eight-phase process:

History Taking – The therapist collects information about the client’s prior events and identifies trauma-related memories.
Preparation – The therapist builds trust, discusses EMDR, and teaches self-calming techniques.
Assessment – The client defines specific traumatic events and negative thoughts related to it.
Desensitisation – The client processes disturbing memories with bilateral stimulation (such as watching dots move across a screen or bilateral body tapping), allowing the brain to reprocess them.
Installation – Positive beliefs overwrite the negative feelings associated with old trauma.
Body Scan – The therapist aids the client in acknowledging and letting go of any lingering physical tension.
Closure – The therapist closes every session with stabilisation, so the client can return to themselves and ensure they’re safe.
Revaluation – Follow-up sessions evaluate progress and identify and allay ongoing distress.

The Science behind EMDR Therapy

EMDR is a heavily researched and evidence-based practice that is more beneficial for trauma treatment than many other practices. While researchers are still identifying the specific neurological process that makes EMDR so successful, some ideas explaining its effectiveness are:

Working Memory Theory -This theory states that focusing on traumatic events while completing bilateral movements taxes the mind’s working memory, making memories less distressing over time.
REM Sleep Hypothesis – EMDR simulates the brain’s natural REM sleep processing, helping patients incorporate traumatic experiences into their standard memory networks.
Closure – The therapist closes every session with stabilisation, so the client can return to themselves and ensure they’re safe.
The Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Model According to Shapiro’s idea, EMDR helps the brain reconstruct painful memories more healthily.

Who can benefit from EMDR therapy?

EMDR therapy is mainly used to treat:

PTSD and Trauma.
Anxiety and despair.
Phobias and panic disorders.
Pain management.
Addiction.
Grief and loss.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long are the sessions?

Our art and verbal psychotherapy sessions are typically 45 minutes; EMDR sessions are typically 55 minutes.

Do you offer virtual sessions?

Yes! Most of our sessions are conducted via a secure telehealth platform. We do have some in person availability as well.

What happens in an art therapy session?

In an art therapy session, you will be creating art while talking to your therapist. They may give you guidance on what to create, or it may be free form; either way, your therapist will be talking with you & guiding you throughout.

Do I have to make art?

No! You can choose to make art every week, on occasion, or never at all. You and your therapist will determine what the best course of treatment will be.

What if I’m not an artist?

Anyone can do art therapy – absolutely no artistic skill is required. Art therapy is much more focused on the process, not the product; this means that the process of making the artwork is much more important than the end result.

What happens in an EMDR session?

Your therapist will first explore your trauma history with you so they can focus treatment accordingly. Then the sessions will consist of either you tapping your upper arms or watching a screen as dots pass by in order to access the trauma-based neural network. We know this can sound odd! Please don’t hesitate to reach out and we can provide much more information.

How much do sessions cost?

45 minute sessions are $250, and 55 minute sessions are $275.

Do you accept insurance?

We are proud to be paneled with Aetna, Cigna, and Healthfirst, and enjoy serving folks on Medicaid. However, we are only able to reserve a certain number of slots for insurance clients, so please reach out to inquire if we have that availability. Please also note that many insurances offer benefits for out of network providers!

What is your cancellation policy?

In you have to cancel less than 24 hours before your appointment, you will be charged the full session fee. This is due our inability to offer the slot to another client.