EMDR Therapy
EMDR Therapy in Henderson, NV
Sometimes, experiences from the past continue to affect how we feel, think, and respond in the present. You might understand that something is over, yet still experience anxiety, fear, shame, or emotional reactions that seem difficult to control.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence-based treatment that helps people process distressing memories and reduce the emotional impact those experiences have on their lives.
At reTHINK Therapy, our EMDR-trained therapists help children, teens, and adults work through traumatic experiences, develop healthier beliefs about themselves, and move toward meaningful change.
Whether you’re seeking support for a specific traumatic event or experiences that have affected you over time, EMDR may be an option worth exploring.
Understanding EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy that helps people address trauma, distressing memories, and difficult life experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR uses a structured approach to processing experiences that may continue to affect how you think, feel, and respond to the world around you.
Sometimes, when we experience something overwhelming, memories of that experience continue to trigger intense emotions, physical reactions, and negative beliefs about ourselves long after the event has passed.
For example, someone who experienced a serious car accident might feel overwhelming anxiety while driving, even when the road is safe. Another person who experienced repeated criticism during childhood might continue to struggle with feelings of inadequacy or fear of rejection as an adult.
EMDR therapy helps people revisit and process these experiences so they may no longer carry the same emotional intensity.
The goal isn’t to erase memories or pretend difficult experiences never happened. Instead, EMDR aims to reduce the distress connected to those memories so they have less influence over your present life.
“The goal of EMDR treatment is to rapidly metabolize the dysfunctional residue from the past and transform it into something useful.”
— Francine Shapiro
How EMDR Therapy Works
EMDR is a structured treatment approach that involves eight phases. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll complete all eight phases in one session or even eight sessions.
Your therapist will begin by learning about your history, current concerns, and treatment goals. Together, you’ll identify experiences that may be contributing to your symptoms.
Before beginning memory reprocessing, your therapist will help you develop coping skills and strategies for managing difficult emotions. This preparation is an important part of EMDR treatment.
Once you’re ready, you’ll begin processing specific memories using bilateral stimulation, which may involve guided eye movements, alternating tapping, or sounds.
During this process, your therapist will periodically check in about what you’re noticing. You may experience changes in emotions, thoughts, physical sensations, or how you understand the memory.
There’s no right or wrong way to experience EMDR. Your therapist will guide the process and adjust treatment based on your needs.
How EMDR works
The Eight Phases of EMDR Therapy
History and Treatment Planning
Your therapist learns about your experiences, symptoms, and goals. Together, you’ll identify memories or patterns that may be contributing to your concerns.
Preparation
You’ll learn about the EMDR process and develop strategies for managing difficult emotions, including grounding and calming techniques.
Assessment
You’ll identify a memory to work on, along with associated beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations. You’ll also identify a more adaptive belief you’d like to develop.
Desensitization
While briefly focusing on aspects of the memory, you’ll engage in bilateral stimulation. Your therapist will guide the process as thoughts, feelings, and sensations change.
Installation
This phase focuses on strengthening a more adaptive belief associated with the experience.
Body Scan
Your therapist will help you notice whether physical tension or distress remains connected to the memory.
Closure
Each session includes time to help you return to a manageable emotional state, even when processing of a memory isn’t complete.
Reevaluation
Your therapist will review your progress in subsequent sessions and determine whether additional processing is needed.
These phases are adapted to your individual needs. Some people move through treatment relatively quickly, while others benefit from additional preparation or longer-term suppor
How EMDR Differs from Traditional Talk Therapy
Traditional talk therapy often involves discussing experiences, exploring emotions, identifying patterns, and developing new ways of thinking or responding.
EMDR also addresses thoughts and emotions, but it uses a structured memory-processing approach that doesn’t necessarily require you to describe traumatic experiences in extensive detail.
Rather than spending every session talking through what happened, you may focus on a particular memory, the beliefs connected to it, and the emotions or physical sensations that arise.
EMDR doesn’t replace every form of talk therapy. For some people, it works well alongside other therapeutic approaches.
Your therapist can help determine which approach, or combination of approaches, best supports your goals.
What Progress with EMDR Can Look Like
Successful EMDR doesn’t mean forgetting what happened or suddenly believing that a painful experience was okay.
Instead, it may mean the experience no longer carries the same emotional weight.
You might reach a point where you can say, “I don’t like that I went through that, but thinking about it doesn’t upset me the way it used to.”
You may also notice changes in how you respond to situations that previously triggered anxiety, shame, fear, or feelings of inadequacy.
For example, instead of automatically believing “I’m powerless,” you may begin to recognize “I have choices now.”
Progress can also show up in everyday life. You might feel less reactive during conflict, more comfortable setting boundaries, or more confident in relationships.
The memory remains part of your history, but it no longer has to shape your present in the same way.
Explore Our Therapists
Associate Therapist
| Specialist |
Clients 18+ Couples EMDR Anxiety |
| Location | In-Office & Telehealth |
| Insurance Accepted |
Aetna Cigna Health Plan of Nevada Medicaid: HPN, NV Medicaid, UMR Sierra Health and Life |
| Cash Rate | $ 115 |
Associate Therapist
| Specialist |
Clients 13+ |
| Location | In-Office & Telehealth |
| Insurance Accepted |
Aetna Cigna Health Plan of Nevada Medicaid: HPN, NV State, UMR Sierra Health and Life |
| Cash Rate | $ 115 |
Founder & CEO
| Specialist |
EMDR Addition Adults Kids Teens Supervision EMDR Consultation |
| Location & Insurance Accepted | BCBS PPO & HMO Medicare: No Adv Plans Molina Medicaid |
| Cash Rate | $175 |
Licensed Therapist
| Specialist |
Clients 12+ Trauma & EMDR Faith-Based Counseling Anxiety/Depression |
| Location | In-Office & Telehealth |
| Insurance Accepted |
BCBS PPO & HMO Medicaid: HPN, Molina, NV State UHC UMR (UHC) |
| Cash Rate | $ 145 |
Clinical Director & Senior Therapist
| Specialist |
Clients Ages 10+ |
| Location | In-Office & Telehealth |
| Insurance Accepted |
BCBS PPO & HMO Medicaid: NV State Medicare: No Adv Plans UHC UMR (UHC) |
| Cash Rate | $ 170 |
Licensed Therapist
| Specialist |
Clients 18+ |
| Location | In-Office & Telehealth |
| Insurance Accepted |
Aetna BCBS PPO & HMO Medicaid: HPN, Molina, NV State UHC UMR (UHC) |
| Cash Rate | $ 145 |
EMDR for Complex Trauma and Childhood Experiences
Not all trauma comes from a single overwhelming event.
Sometimes, emotional difficulties develop through repeated experiences over time. Childhood neglect, ongoing criticism, unpredictable relationships, bullying, or growing up in an environment where you didn’t feel emotionally safe can affect how you understand yourself and relate to others.
These experiences may contribute to beliefs such as:
- “I’m not good enough.”
- “I can’t trust anyone.”
- “My needs don’t matter.”
- “Something bad is going to happen.”
- “I have to keep everyone happy to feel safe.”
Even when you recognize that these beliefs aren’t accurate, changing how you feel can be difficult.
EMDR may help address distressing memories associated with these patterns. Treatment for complex or longstanding trauma often involves additional preparation, careful pacing, and attention to emotional regulation and stability.
At reTHINK Therapy, we recognize that healing from repeated difficult experiences may take time. Your therapist will work collaboratively with you to develop an approach that respects your history, current needs, and readiness for memory processing.
EMDR for Children & Teens
EMDR isn’t just for adults. It can also be an effective treatment for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma or other distressing events.
Children don’t always have the language or emotional awareness to explain what they’re experiencing. Instead, distress may show up through behavioral changes, anxiety, irritability, sleep difficulties, or challenges at school.
EMDR can be adapted to a child’s developmental level, using age-appropriate language, activities, and bilateral stimulation techniques.
Your child’s therapist will begin by establishing safety, building trust, and teaching emotional regulation skills before moving into memory processing.
Depending on the child’s age and treatment needs, parents or caregivers may also be involved in supporting the therapeutic process.
Our goal is to help children process difficult experiences, develop healthier beliefs about themselves, and feel more confident navigating their emotions and relationships.
Conditions EMDR Therapy Can Help Treat
EMDR is best known for treating PTSD and trauma-related symptoms, but therapists also use EMDR-informed approaches to address other concerns.
These may include:
- Trauma and PTSD: Processing distressing experiences and reducing trauma-related symptoms.
- Anxiety: Addressing past experiences and beliefs that may contribute to persistent fear or worry.
- Panic attacks: Exploring distressing memories or experiences associated with panic symptoms.
- Phobias: Processing experiences that may contribute to intense fear responses.
- Grief and loss: Addressing distressing memories associated with difficult losses.
- Depression: Exploring negative beliefs and experiences that may contribute to depressive symptoms.
- Performance anxiety: Addressing experiences that influence confidence and fear of failure.
- Other concerns: EMDR is also being studied for conditions such as OCD, addiction, and body image difficulties, although the evidence is more limited.
While EMDR has strong research support for PTSD, its effectiveness for other conditions varies. Your therapist will help determine whether EMDR is appropriate for your specific concerns.
EMDR Therapy for Anxiety Beyond PTSD
Anxiety doesn’t always develop from a single traumatic event.
Sometimes, persistent anxiety is connected to distressing experiences that shaped how someone views themselves, other people, or the world around them.
For example, someone who experienced repeated embarrassment or rejection may develop intense anxiety in social situations. Someone who grew up in an unpredictable environment may struggle with a persistent sense that something bad is about to happen.
When these patterns are connected to identifiable distressing memories, EMDR may be incorporated into treatment to address those experiences and their associated beliefs.
However, EMDR isn’t necessarily the first-line treatment for every anxiety disorder. Other evidence-based approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure-based treatments, may be more appropriate depending on your symptoms and goals.
At reTHINK Therapy, treatment recommendations are based on your individual needs rather than assuming one therapeutic approach works for everyone.
How Long EMDR Takes
The length of EMDR therapy depends on your history, symptoms, and treatment goals.
Some people experience meaningful improvement after processing a specific distressing memory over several sessions. Others benefit from longer-term treatment, particularly when addressing multiple traumatic experiences or longstanding patterns.
EMDR isn’t about rushing through painful memories. Your therapist will work with you to establish a pace that allows you to process experiences safely and effectively.
At reTHINK Therapy, we recommend attending sessions consistently, typically weekly or every other week, to maintain momentum and support progress.
Exploring Whether EMDR Is Right for You
If you’ve experienced trauma, struggle with distressing memories, or notice that past experiences continue to influence how you feel about yourself, EMDR may be worth exploring.
You don’t have to have experienced a single major traumatic event to benefit from discussing EMDR with a therapist. Sometimes repeated experiences of rejection, criticism, or emotional distress can contribute to beliefs and patterns that continue into adulthood.
At reTHINK Therapy, our therapists can help you understand whether EMDR is a good fit and develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Our goal is to help you do more than manage symptoms. We want to help you understand how past experiences may be affecting your life today, work through what continues to hold you back, and move forward with greater confidence and freedom.
Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR
Yes. EMDR can be done through secure video sessions when it’s clinically appropriate. Your therapist may adapt bilateral stimulation using on-screen eye movements, self-tapping, or other techniques that work well virtually. You may be able to move between online and in-person sessions as your schedule and clinical needs change.
Some people describe feeling lighter, like something heavy finally shifted. Others may feel tired, emotional, or notice vivid dreams and new insights in the days following a session. Your therapist will help you understand what to expect and offer ways to care for yourself between sessions.
No, and many people are relieved to hear it. EMDR doesn’t require you to retell your story in detail or relive it out loud. Your therapist may ask for a brief picture of the memory, a feeling, or a belief connected to it. You can discuss with your therapist how much detail to share.
No. EMDR isn’t hypnosis. You remain awake and aware during treatment, and you can ask to pause or stop at any time. Your therapist will guide the process while respecting your comfort and choices.
Bilateral stimulation involves alternating movements, tapping, or sounds, such as following your therapist’s hand with your eyes or hearing tones that alternate between your ears. These techniques are used during EMDR memory processing, although researchers are still studying exactly how they contribute to treatment.
You won’t be left to manage that alone. Before memory processing begins, your therapist will help you develop grounding and calming skills. If a session feels too intense, you can pause, slow down, or return to those techniques. Your therapist will work with you to help you feel more settled before the session ends.
Yes, if you want it to. For many people, faith is a source of strength, and it can be part of the healing process. For others, faith experiences are part of what hurts, including religious trauma or the questions that come with deconstruction. Our therapists welcome both. You set the direction, and we follow your lead.
Most EMDR appointments last approximately 50–60 minutes, similar to standard therapy sessions. Some processing sessions may be scheduled for longer periods when clinically appropriate. Your therapist will discuss available options and what makes sense for your treatment.
EMDR is typically billed using the same psychotherapy codes as other therapy services. Many insurance plans cover EMDR when the service meets the plan’s coverage requirements. Benefits, provider networks, and other plan rules still apply.
We accept most major commercial insurance plans, several Medicaid plans, and Medicare. Visit our Rates & Insurance page for more information.
Take the Next Step with EMDR Therapy
Whether you’re navigating trauma, anxiety, or experiences from your past that continue to affect you, our therapists are here to help.
At reTHINK Therapy, we offer EMDR therapy in Henderson, NV, with a team that takes the time to understand your story, your goals, and what healing means to you.
Schedule an Appointment to start your healing journey today. You can also call or text us at 702-496-6562 to learn more about getting started