EMDR Therapy in Denver, CO

EMDR therapy allows us to heal through trauma, not just “understand” it.

We know that trauma impacts us on an emotional, mental, and bodily level, and that healing from trauma requires the involvement of our entire nervous system, not just our thoughts and insights.

Many clients come to us after years of traditional talk therapy, reporting it has helped them understand the ins and outs of their trauma, but not feel a positive shift in their bodies, their relationships, or how they see the world. Our therapists want to be right there with you on this journey: a deep, whole-body healing experience is the destination, and EMDR is the vehicle that helps us get there.

Healing happens through connection.

We believe in the power of connection above everything else. Not only is it a basic human right, but neuroscience tells us that connecting with a safe person is biologically necessary for trauma healing to really take root.

We promise to be a steady, non-judgmental, and grounded presence for you at every stage of the EMDR process.

Your nervous system lets its guard down when it is in the presence of a trusted other, and it's when the walls have lowered that all the trauma that has kept us stuck is freed.

Many of our clients come to us as "veterans" of the therapy process. You might be a good fit for this work if you’ve tried therapy before and felt:

• Therapy helps me recognize patterns, but I'm not experiencing real change.

• My thoughts are shifting, but my emotions feel stuck.

• My body is still stressed even when nothing is “wrong.”

• I’m addressing the symptoms, but not the root cause.

• I can manage the present, but the past still feels untouchable.

Moving beyond coping into lasting resolution.

Developing tools to handle the here and now is a great first step, but often times coping mechanisms aren’t enough to reach deep-seated trauma. You might have a plethora of tools at your disposal, yet find that your past still forces its way into your present.

This is the heart of the work we do. It’s where EMDR therapy really shines, because it's designed to meet trauma where it actually lives: not just in your behaviors or thoughts, but in your entire nervous system.

How EMDR Therapy Works

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is an evidence-based trauma therapy used to treat the effects of trauma, including symptoms of PTSD, dissociation, anxiety, and depression. Trauma can be defined as any experience that’s too overwhelming for our bodies and minds to process. When this occurs, the overwhelm gets lodged in our fight or flight systems and other emotional processing centers in our brain. Just like when a river is dammed and the water cannot move properly, stuck trauma impacts our emotional state, relationship with ourselves and with others, and general functioning, even if it happened years ago. How does this look and feel? Everyone’s bodies are different, therefore how trauma manifests varies too. However, experiences that trauma therapists tend to see across the board are: feelings of shame or guilt, difficulty trusting those closest to you, traumatic flashbacks, a sense of feeling disconnected from your body and emotions, persistent anxiety, and numbness.

What to Expect During EMDR Therapy

EMDR uses bilateral eye movements or hand buzzers - which is what you see in the photo to the right - to support your brain and body in processing through the difficult emotions, beliefs, images, and body sensations that are linked to a specific traumatic event or series of traumatic events. EMDR therapy takes place across eight phases, beginning with building safety and connection and holding space for you to share your story. Unlike other trauma processing methods, you are not required to share every detail of the trauma with your Denver EMDR therapist unless you want to. EMDR relies upon processing through particular stuck points (like a thought, body sensation, scent, or image) and this can be done without recounting the entire event. Before processing begins, your therapist will also introduce and rehearse with you various forms of grounding techniques so you can begin and end session feeling regulated. The processing phases are where the bilateral movements come into play, and your therapist will also walk you through how to engage in those.

What to Expect After EMDR Therapy

Once the eight phases of EMDR therapy are complete, the trauma is desensitized and re-processed by the brain and body. This moves it out of the ‘stuck’ position that was causing so much pain and distress and into a place in your memory where it no longer feels overwhelming or negatively impactful within your daily life. When the trauma becomes unstuck, life opens up in many ways. Feeling physically lighter, less fatigued, or less anxious are common bodily responses, and on the emotional/mental side, we often see and hear reports of increased ease within relationships, increased self-esteem, and decreased self-blame.

Learn more about how EMDR therapy can help you heal from trauma on our blog or reach out to chat with a Denver EMDR therapist on our team.

Jordan Kurtz, LPC

Hello! In EMDR therapy with me, you can expect our process to be slow, attuned, and wholly guided by you. You’ll find me using EMDR therapy as a tool to support both teens and adults who have experienced trauma of any kind, with my specialties including grief and loss, relationship trauma, and childhood abuse/neglect.

Get Started with EMDR Therapy in Denver, CO.

1. Reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consult call.

Trauma Therapy