EMDR Therapy in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Virtual in Arizona & Washington
EMDR for Trauma, Anxiety & PTSD
Evidence-Based Treatment
EMDR is an extensively researched psychotherapy recognized for treating trauma and PTSD, with growing evidence supporting its effectiveness for anxiety, panic, grief, and other distress-related conditions.
A Collaborative Process
EMDR therapy moves at your pace. Your therapist helps you build coping skills and emotional stability before processing difficult memories, ensuring treatment feels safe and supportive.
Lasting Change
The goal of EMDR isn't to erase memories, it's to reduce the emotional distress attached to them so they no longer interfere with your relationships, confidence, or daily life.
Heal From Trauma Without Reliving Every Detail
Traumatic experiences can leave lasting effects on the mind and body long after the event has ended. You may logically know you are safe, yet still experience anxiety, panic, nightmares, emotional overwhelm, hypervigilance, or reactions that seem to happen automatically.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps the brain process and integrate distressing experiences so they no longer carry the same emotional intensity. Rather than simply teaching you how to cope with symptoms, EMDR works to address the underlying memories and experiences that continue to influence your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
At Flourish Together Therapy, our EMDR therapists help adults, adolescents, and teens process difficult life experiences while moving toward lasting healing and emotional resilience.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy originally developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Today, it is also widely used to treat many other concerns, including anxiety disorders, panic attacks, phobias, grief, and traumatic life experiences.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, typically eye movements, alternating taps, or auditory tones, while you briefly focus on a distressing memory. This process helps your brain reprocess information that may have become "stuck," allowing memories to be stored in a more adaptive way.
Many clients find that memories remain intact after treatment, but they no longer evoke the same level of fear, shame, guilt, or emotional distress.
How EMDR Works
When we experience overwhelming events, the brain's normal information processing system can become disrupted. Instead of fully processing the experience, pieces of the memory, including emotions, body sensations, beliefs, and images, can remain stored in a way that continues to trigger distress long after the event has passed.
EMDR helps the brain resume this natural healing process.
During treatment, your therapist guides you through carefully structured phases while using bilateral stimulation. Over time, many clients notice:
Less emotional intensity when recalling difficult memories
Reduced anxiety and panic symptoms
Decreased physiological reactions
Healthier beliefs about themselves
Increased confidence and resilience
Greater ability to respond rather than react
The goal is not to erase memories but to reduce the distress associated with them so they no longer interfere with daily life.
What EMDR Can Help Treat
EMDR has extensive research supporting its effectiveness for trauma and PTSD, but it is also commonly used to address many other concerns.
EMDR therapy may help with:
Trauma and complex trauma
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Childhood trauma
Sexual abuse
Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Medical trauma
Birth trauma
Anxiety disorders
Panic attacks
Social anxiety
Generalized anxiety disorder
Specific phobias
Grief and complicated grief
Distressing life events
Low self-esteem rooted in past experiences
Negative core beliefs
Performance anxiety
Attachment wounds
First responder trauma
Healthcare worker burnout and traumatic stress
What Happens During EMDR Therapy?
EMDR follows an eight-phase treatment model designed to ensure therapy is safe, effective, and individualized.
Treatment generally includes:
Assessment and History
Your therapist gains an understanding of your history, current concerns, strengths, and goals while identifying experiences that may be contributing to present-day symptoms.
Preparation
Before processing difficult memories, you will develop coping strategies and grounding skills to help you feel emotionally prepared and supported throughout treatment.
Processing
Using bilateral stimulation, your therapist helps you process targeted memories while allowing your brain's natural healing mechanisms to work. Sessions move at a pace that feels manageable and collaborative.
Integration
As treatment progresses, distress decreases and healthier beliefs become more accessible. Many clients notice improvements not only in trauma symptoms but also in relationships, self-confidence, emotional regulation, and overall quality of life.
Is EMDR Right for You?
EMDR may be beneficial if you notice that past experiences continue to affect your present life.
You may benefit from EMDR therapy if you:
Feel "stuck" despite understanding your experiences intellectually
Experience intrusive memories or flashbacks
Avoid reminders of painful events
Feel constantly on edge or hypervigilant
Have panic attacks
Struggle with unexplained anxiety
Experience strong emotional reactions that seem disproportionate
Hold persistent negative beliefs about yourself
Feel overwhelmed by memories from childhood or adulthood
Not everyone begins EMDR immediately. Your therapist will help determine when it is appropriate based on your history, emotional stability, and treatment goals.
Is EMDR Evidence-Based?
Yes.
EMDR is one of the most extensively researched trauma therapies available today. Numerous randomized controlled trials and decades of clinical research have demonstrated its effectiveness in treating PTSD and trauma-related symptoms.
EMDR is recognized as an effective treatment by organizations including:
The American Psychological Association (APA)
The World Health Organization (WHO)
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
Research has shown EMDR can significantly reduce symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and distress while improving overall functioning.
What Experiences or Events Contribute to Unprocessed Trauma?
Many people think trauma only refers to life-threatening experiences. In reality, the nervous system can be deeply affected by many different types of events.
These may include:
Childhood neglect
Bullying
Divorce
Loss of a loved one
Medical procedures
Car accidents
Workplace trauma
Relationship betrayal
Emotional invalidation
Community violence
Sudden life changes
Even experiences that others might minimize can leave lasting emotional effects if they overwhelmed your ability to cope at the time.
Our Approach to EMDR Therapy
One of our EMDR therapists, Echo, during our equestrian team event.
At Flourish Together Therapy, EMDR is never a one-size-fits-all treatment.
Our therapists take time to understand your story, build emotional safety, and ensure you have the resources needed before beginning trauma processing.
Depending on your needs, EMDR may be thoughtfully integrated with other evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), attachment-focused therapy, somatic interventions, mindfulness, and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed work.
Healing includes reducing symptoms so that you can get back to your life. It is also about helping you feel safer in your body, more connected in your relationships, and more confident moving forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. While your therapist will need enough information to guide treatment safely, EMDR generally does not require you to recount every detail of a traumatic experience.
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No. Although EMDR was originally developed for PTSD, it is also commonly used for anxiety, panic attacks, grief, phobias, attachment wounds, performance anxiety, and distressing life experiences.
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Treatment varies depending on your goals, history, and the complexity of your experiences. Some individuals experience improvement after relatively few sessions, while others with more complex trauma benefit from longer-term treatment.
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Some sessions can bring up difficult emotions, but therapy moves at a pace that prioritizes safety and stabilization. Your therapist will continually assess readiness and help you develop coping skills throughout treatment.
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Not necessarily.
Many people continue working with their primary therapist while seeing an EMDR therapist specifically for trauma processing. In these situations, each therapist serves a different role. Your primary therapist may continue helping you with day-to-day challenges, relationships, anxiety, or ongoing personal growth, while your EMDR therapist focuses on processing traumatic memories or experiences using EMDR.
With your written permission, the two therapists can collaborate to ensure your treatment is coordinated and that you're receiving consistent, comprehensive care.
Some clients eventually transition all of their care to an EMDR-trained therapist, while others choose to maintain both therapeutic relationships long term. The right approach depends on your goals, the strength of your therapeutic relationship, and the recommendations of your providers.
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At Flourish Together Therapy, yes!
EMDR is a psychotherapy approach, not a separate billable service. If your therapist is in-network with your insurance plan and your treatment is medically necessary, EMDR sessions are typically billed the same way as any other individual therapy session.This means that if you use your insurance benefits for counseling, you can generally use those same benefits while receiving EMDR therapy. Your copay, coinsurance, deductible, and coverage are determined by your individual insurance plan.
If you're unsure whether your insurance can be used for EMDR therapy, our administrative team is happy to verify your benefits and answer any questions before you begin treatment.