Explore EMDR

What Is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of therapy that helps people heal from difficult experiences. When an event is disturbing, the memory can get "stuck" and doesn't fully process—like a file that didn’t download correctly. EMDR helps your brain finish processing, so the memory does not feel as intense or overwhelming anymore.

How does EMDR therapy work?

During EMDR therapy, you’ll think about a specific traumatic memory while doing something like following side-to-side movements with your eyes, tapping, or hearing alternating sounds. This helps both sides of your brain work together to process the disturbing memory in a healthier way.

EMDR therapy is a structured, research-supported therapy that helps with things like trauma, crisis, depression, anxiety, grief, and intrusive negative self-beliefs.

Recent research shows that early intervention can significantly reduce the risk of long-term difficulties following a traumatic event. The Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol (R-TEP), an EMDR-based approach, can be used within hours of an event. The protocol is effective for trauma that occurred within the past year or is still ongoing.

R-TEP typically requires 2–4 hours to complete, though individual needs may vary. Each session includes a comprehensive intake and screening to ensure the protocol is appropriate for your situation.

This protocol is especially well-suited for individuals in high-impact roles who may experience repeated or ongoing trauma, such as, but not limited to:

• First responders

• Mental health professionals

• Healthcare workers

• Cancer survivors

• Military personnel

• Humanitarian aid workers

If you're seeking timely, effective support after a traumatic experience, R-TEP offers a structured, research-backed path to healing. This service can also be done in a group format.

Sometimes the trauma is ongoing whether it is job related (first responders, medical field, helping field, etc.), health related, or situation. This approach allows for quick decrease of symptoms related to ongoing traumatic stress associated with continual exposure to overwhelming circumstances. This protocol can be completed as blind to therapist, meaning that the client does not need to discuss the intimate details of their trauma. If you would like to talk, that is an option as well. This protocol has been researched to help prevent burnout in high stress and high traumatic exposure jobs.

Group EMDR sessions (using the G-TEP protocol) offer many of the same benefits as traditional EMDR therapy—within a supportive group setting. This format is a cost-effective and accessible way to experience the healing power of EMDR.

One of the most unique aspects of G-TEP is the “Blind-to-Therapist” approach. This means you are not required to share any personal details of your traumatic experience in order to process and heal. This can be especially comforting for those who are hesitant to speak about their trauma. However, if you feel comfortable and would like to share, space is built into the group structure for that as well.

Once you've completed a brief intake and screening, you’re welcome to join any group that fits your needs. Group lengths may vary.

G-TEP is also available for organizations and workplaces—please reach out if you'd like to explore this option for your team or community.

EMDR Intensives: Focused Healing in Less Time

EMDR Intensives offer a powerful, time-efficient approach to healing. Rather than attending weekly sessions, clients engage in half-day, full-day, or multi-day formats that allow for deeper, more focused work. This concentrated approach can lead to faster relief from symptoms and more significant progress in a shorter period.

Intensives are ideal for individuals who:

• Have busy schedules that make weekly therapy challenging

• Prefer to work through traumatic material in a focused, immersive setting

• Are currently seeing a therapist and want to add EMDR as an adjunct to their ongoing care

Whether you're looking to jumpstart your healing journey or supplement the great work you're already doing in therapy, EMDR Intensives can provide meaningful support—tailored to your needs and your timeline.

** Intensive EMDR therapy in San Antonio in-person only.

Flash is a research—supported gentler type of EMDR. Flash allows the client to decrease the disturbing symptoms associated with disturbing or traumatic memories without having to directly engage with the memory. This can be used as a stand alone therapeutic technique, or as a way to “dial down” disturbance before continuing the traditional EMDR protocol.

Research consistently shows that traumatic memories aren't just stored in the mind—they are held in the body as well. This integrated approach draws on somatic therapy techniques to gently address both the physical sensations and emotional patterns connected to trauma. What makes this approach so powerful is its ability to support the release of long-held tension and emotional pain, allowing for a sense of relief and peace that many have not felt in years. Elements of somatic therapy are woven into every protocol, supporting healing on both a physical and emotional level.

This protocol is for those traumas that happened before the client was able to make explicit memories. Explicit memories are those long-term memories in which one can recall the facts and details of the event. This protocol is utilized for both generational trauma and trauma that occurs before (but not limited to) the age of three.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) can be integrated into the EMDR Protocol. IFS Parts Protocol is a permission based protocol that allows the therapist to work with the client’s unique internal system. This is an effective approach for complex trauma, childhood trauma, or are high functioning. The IFS integration helps establish both safety and trust with a client. This therapeutic modality empowers the client to understand their own reactions and behaviors as learned responses to difficult situations.

IFS Explanation: Everyone has a core aspect of “Self” that they were created with that is compassionate, confident, curious, creative, calm, courageous, and enjoys connection and clarity. Utilizing this approach allows a person to find their “Self,” again.

Like IFS, Ego States is a parts integration that can be used with the EMDR protocol. Ego states are a person’s consistent patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving in reaction to different situations or people. Often these ego states cause emotional distress or self-sabotaging behaviors. The aim of this parts protocol is to see what the function of the ego state is, the need it is trying to satisfy, and how it relates to other ego states. This information is then used with EMDR and different techniques to process disturbing events or negative beliefs.

The word bereaved originates from the Old English word bereafian meaning, “to take away, to rob, to deprive, to take away by violence.” These words can sometimes describe what it feels like to lose someone. Other times it can feel as though no words are big enough to describe the loss, their absence, and your regrets.

No two grief journeys are the same, and it is important to honor and respect where you are in yours. There are supportive techniques, including EMDR, that can help soften the pain and even bring comfort in the devastation. Our goal is to walk alongside you—offering a safe, compassionate space where you can grieve at your own pace, and gently begin to find ways to live with your loss in a meaningful and intentional way.

Recent Traumatic Event Protocol (RTEP) and Group Traumatic Event Protocol (GTEP) are effective choices for individuals, family, or those who have experienced the same type of loss. These protocols have been shown to reduce longterm complications with grief. Either protocol can be used in tandem with traditional therapy or as an adjunct intervention while you continue therapy with your already established clinician.