EMDR Therapy
In-Person Midvale, Utah * Virtual Throughout Utah
Integrative care for deep Healing
Throughout our lives, many of us have traumatic experiences that are too painful for our nervous systems to fully process. When this happens, we often experience intrusive memories, flashbacks, chronic anxiety, and feelings of disconnection from ourselves and those around us. Many of us turn to therapy for relief—however, traditional talk therapy is often limited when it comes to trauma. Talking engages the conscious, cognitive mind, and traumatic experiences are stored in the subconscious and the somatic sensory body.
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, offers a unique approach for clients who haven’t found relief through traditional talk therapy. Unlike methods that rely on verbal processing, EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation to target and reprocess traumatic memories, which can reduce their emotional intensity without needing extensive discussion.
This can be especially helpful for clients who struggle to verbalize painful experiences. By engaging the brain’s natural healing capacities, EMDR therapy often leads to quicker, deeper relief, helping clients break free from persistent distress and supporting lasting growth and resilience. It reprograms the brain’s response to trauma, allowing people to remember painful experiences without feeling upset or dysregulated.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
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How Effective Is EMDR Therapy?
Since its inception in 1987, a wide body of research has attested to the healing power of EMDR therapy. According to most studies, roughly 84 to 90 percent of trauma survivors who experienced a single-trauma incident (such as a car crash or sexual assault) have no more PTSD symptoms after just three EMDR sessions. For those whose trauma stems from long-term experiences (like toxic relationships or unstable living conditions), about 77 percent had no PTSD symptoms after roughly six EMDR sessions (1).
In addition to being able to successfully treat trauma, EMDR can significantly reduce depression, anxiety, and many other mental health challenges (2). Because of all the studies that support EMDR therapy, the World Health Organization (WHO), American Psychological Association (APA), and many other organizations consider it a gold standard form of trauma treatment (3).
Part of what makes EMDR therapy so impactful is that it goes beyond the need for verbal processing. So if you don’t fully remember your experience or it’s too painful to talk about, that’s okay. EMDR essentially does the processing work for you, since the bilateral stimulation exercises engage your subconscious mind and unlock the brain’s natural ability to heal itself. This is especially relieving for clients who bring performance anxiety concerns into therapy (e.g., “What if I say the wrong things?”), since EMDR puts very little pressure on the client to do things correctly.
What Do EMDR Therapy Sessions Look Like?
At Radiant Mind Wellness, we use EMDR to help children, teens, and adults overcome acute and complex trauma. We also use EMDR to treat anxiety, stress, phobias, chronic pain, panic attacks, and complicated grief (for kids, we find that it is especially helpful when they’re grieving the loss of a pet or a loved one). Our therapists often integrate this approach with Creative Arts Therapies, Ego State Therapy, and Somatic Therapies.
The first stage of EMDR treatment is the resourcing phase. This is all about equipping you with grounding and mindfulness skills so that you can process your trauma without feeling upset or overwhelmed. Your therapist can teach you strategies for maintaining present-moment awareness, regulating difficult emotions, and cultivating creative expression through various art mediums.
Once you are thoroughly resourced, we will begin the reprocessing work of EMDR therapy. Together, we’ll focus on specific memories or feelings while using bilateral stimulation exercises, like guided eye movements or tapping, to “unlock” the brain’s natural healing process. This can help your brain reprocess traumatic memories in a way that reduces their emotional intensity. The memories generally become less distressing, and symptoms like anxiety, flashbacks, or self-doubt usually fade. When that’s done, we will turn our attention toward integrating the gains you’ve made in therapy into your everyday life.
How Can EMDR Therapy Benefit Your Life?
Engaging in EMDR therapy can provide a sense of relief and freedom from distressing memories, as this method helps “reprogram” the brain to reduce the emotional impact of traumatic experiences. EMDR also fosters increased self-awareness, helping you understand and address underlying issues that lie at the root of your mental health challenges. As you process trauma, you can feel more connected to yourself and others, improve your emotional stability, and develop greater confidence in navigating life’s challenges.
At Radiant Mind Wellness, we often combine EMDR with Creative Arts Therapies and other expressive therapies, as these approaches transcend the need for language. The process of art-making unlocks subconscious processes and allows for the healing of wounds that lie beyond the reach of conscious awareness. In a similar vein, EMDR therapy engages the brain’s natural healing capacities and enables people to recover from trauma without having to “discuss” their struggles.
How Can EMDR Therapy Benefit Your Life?
At Radiant Mind Wellness, we were inspired to integrate EMDR therapy into our practice due to personal experiences with its effectiveness, as well as compelling research showing its positive impact on trauma recovery. EMDR’s integrative, experiential approach aligns with our values, allowing clients to process trauma in a way that’s both deeply healing and empowering. Seeing how EMDR facilitates real transformation reinforces our commitment to offering this approach as a core part of our therapeutic skillset.
Today, our practice uses a trauma-informed lens and has several therapists who specialize in EMDR treatment. Our practice owner and clinical director, Kate Wingard, is a certified EMDR therapist and a consultant-in-training with EMDRIA. She supervises and collaborates with other EMDR therapists, including those at our practice, providing case consultations to enhance our work.
Experience Healing And Transformation Through The Power Of EMDR
If you want to reconnect with your authentic self, build your resilience, and feel more at peace in your own skin, we encourage you to pursue EMDR therapy with us. To get started, email us, call us at 385-346-0031, or fill out our contact page.
Therapists Who Can Help
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Jonelle Edwards, ACMHC, ATR-P
Jonelle is dedicated to helping individuals work through challenging anxiety, trauma, and life transitions. With evidence-based psychotherapy with Clinical Art Therapy, she gives respect to each client's unique story. Learn more on our clinical team page.
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Kate Wingard, LCMHC, ATR-BC
Kate approaches healing with a creative, compassion focused lens. She offers extensive expertise in trauma-informed care and creative therapies. Learn more about Kate's specialized approach on our clinical team page.
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