Clinical modality
Springfield, MO · In-person & telehealth
EMDR Therapy
Reprocess traumatic memories at the neurological level.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) uses bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements — to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories that are stored in a way that causes ongoing distress. At MBH, EMDR is delivered by certified therapists and integrated with addiction and mental health treatment.
- Format
- Individual sessions
- Certified by
- EMDR International Association
- Used for
- Trauma, PTSD, addiction
- Session length
- 60–90 minutes
How EMDR works — the eight-phase protocol.
EMDR follows a structured eight-phase protocol that moves from preparation and stabilization through active trauma reprocessing and integration. Every phase serves a specific clinical purpose.
History taking
Your therapist gathers a detailed trauma and treatment history to identify the specific memories and experiences that will be targeted in processing.
Preparation
You learn stabilization techniques and what to expect from bilateral stimulation — building the safety and trust needed for reprocessing work.
Assessment
The target memory is activated — identifying the negative cognition, associated emotions, body sensations, and current distress level before processing begins.
Desensitization
Bilateral stimulation (guided eye movements, tapping, or audio tones) is applied while you hold the target memory — allowing the brain to reprocess it toward adaptive resolution.
Installation
A positive belief replaces the negative cognition associated with the target memory, and bilateral stimulation strengthens the new neural association.
Body scan
You scan your body for any residual tension or distress linked to the processed memory — addressing somatic components of the trauma response.
Closure
Each session ends with stabilization techniques to ensure you leave in a grounded, functional state — regardless of whether full reprocessing was completed.
Reevaluation
At the start of the next session, the therapist checks in on the processed memory and the new positive belief to assess whether further processing is needed.
The trauma-addiction connection.
Research consistently shows that a majority of people seeking addiction treatment have a history of significant trauma — and for many, substance use began as a functional attempt to regulate the emotional pain of unprocessed traumatic experiences. Trauma and addiction are not separate problems that happen to co-occur: they are deeply intertwined in the same neurological systems.
Unprocessed trauma memories are stored in fragmented, hyperactivated form — easily triggered by present-day sensory cues (sounds, smells, situations) that resemble the original event. These triggers produce immediate, overwhelming emotional and somatic responses. For many clients, substance use is the fastest available way to dampen that response.
EMDR addresses this cycle at the source — reprocessing the traumatic memories themselves, so they no longer function as live triggers. When the trauma loses its neurological charge, the compulsive drive to self-medicate diminishes significantly.
“Trauma is not what happens to you — it is what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you. EMDR works precisely at that inside level.”
— Adapted from Dr. Gabor Maté, trauma and addiction researcher
Trauma hijacks the stress response
Unprocessed trauma keeps the nervous system in a state of chronic threat activation — and substances are one of the most reliably effective ways to temporarily lower that activation.
Self-medication perpetuates both disorders
Using substances to manage trauma symptoms relieves distress in the short term but prevents natural processing, entrenches avoidance, and adds the additional burden of addiction.
EMDR breaks the cycle at the source
By reprocessing the traumatic memories driving the need to self-medicate, EMDR addresses a root cause of relapse that purely behavioral approaches often miss.
Integrated treatment is more effective
Treating trauma and addiction simultaneously — as Missouri Behavioral Health does — produces significantly better long-term outcomes than treating them sequentially.
What EMDR treats at MBH.
EMDR is effective across a wide range of trauma-related and anxiety-based conditions, with particularly strong evidence for PTSD and trauma-driven addiction.
Insurance typically covers EMDR.
EMDR is covered by most major insurance plans as an evidence-based treatment for PTSD and trauma-related conditions. Missouri Behavioral Health verifies your benefits before treatment begins — at no cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that uses bilateral stimulation — typically guided eye movements — to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories stored in a way that causes ongoing distress. When a traumatic event is not fully processed, the memory remains fragmented and hyperactivated — easily triggered by present-day stimuli. EMDR interrupts this pattern, allowing the memory to be integrated into normal autobiographical memory without losing its emotional charge to the nervous system.
EMDR Therapy within your full treatment plan.
Therapy at Missouri Behavioral Health doesn't exist in isolation. EMDR Therapy is delivered as part of a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan — integrated with your level of care, psychiatric support, and other modalities into a unified clinical approach.
Individualized treatment plan
Your therapist collaborates with your full clinical team to ensure EMDR objectives align with your broader recovery goals.
Regular clinical reviews
Treatment plans are reviewed and updated as you progress — your therapy evolves with you through each phase of recovery.
Continuity across levels of care
As you step down from PHP to IOP to outpatient, your therapeutic relationship continues — no disruption, no re-starting.
Also Available
Other therapies at MBH.
Start Today
Ready to begin EMDR Therapy?
Admission coordinators available 24/7 — confidential, HIPAA-compliant.