EMDR Therapy in Lakewood, CO
Do you find yourself reacting to the present as if the past were still happening?
Do certain triggers like a specific tone of voice, a scent, or an emotion send your heart racing or your mind into a fog?
When we experience something overwhelming, our brains don't always file the memory correctly. Instead of the memory becoming a story from the past, the experience stays stuck in the nervous system. Sometimes the memory can easily be recalled and other times not, regardless the nervous system still remembers.
At Lakewood Holistic Counseling, I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help you process what feels stuck. Since therapy can feel vulnerable or scary, particularly when processing trauma, I integrate my approach into a relational, attachment-based framework, supported by the grounding presence of my therapy dog, Winston. Here, we don’t rush the process of healing; we walk together, taking cues from your nervous system.
Questions about EMDR therapy? Reach out today.
What is EMDR Therapy and How Does It Work?
EMDR is a research-backed modality for trauma that helps the brain resume its natural healing process. Think of your brain like a digestive system for information. Usually, when things happen, your brain digests the experience and stores what it needs or deems useful. Trauma is often too heavy and too fast to digest and can lead to unwanted thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
EMDR utilizes bilateral stimulation, which is repetitive back and forth movement from one side of your body to the other. The stimulation may be moving your eyes back and forth with guidance, tappers that you hold in your hands, or using headphones to hear a back and forth tone. One hypothesis is that this rhythmic movement mimics what happens during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is the stage of sleep where we process our day.
My Unique Approach: EMDR plus Relational Care
EMDR Therapy has 8 phases. The 8 phases are gathering history, preparation through developing resources (coping skills), assessment of memory that is to be targeted, desensitization and reprocessing of memory, installation of positive belief, body scan, closure, and reassessment. This layout makes it seem like healing is linear or progressive.
However, humans are complex and memories are complex, especially when trauma involves attachment wounds.
My approach is different. I believe that the relationship is the main thread throughout EMDR therapy. I bridge the clinical power of EMDR with the warmth of Relational and Attachment-Based Therapy. What does this look like?
1. Safety Before Processing
If you grew up in an environment where your needs were secondary, your nervous system is likely in a state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Jumping straight into trauma processing can feel destabilizing. My first priority is building a secure base between us. We spend time getting to know you and all of your parts. We also ensure you have the internal tools to feel grounded before we ever touch a difficult memory.
2. Attachment-Focused EMDR Therapy
Trauma and stuck memories are as much about the absence of support as they are about the presence of an event. It is the story of who wasn't there to help you carry the burden, and the protective experiences that didn't happen when you needed them most. We use EMDR to target these relational wounds. These are the moments you felt alone, unheard, or forced to shrink. I stay active and present with you during the processing, ensuring you never have to face those old memories alone again.
Grounding with Winston - Animal Assisted EMDR Therapy
Processing trauma can be physically and emotionally intense. It is common to feel spaced out (dissociated) or overwhelmed when a difficult thought, emotion, or body sensation shows up. This is where Animal Assisted Therapy with Winston becomes a game-changer for the EMDR process.
A Sensory Anchor: If you begin to feel overwhelmed or checked out during a session, Winston’s physical presence, the weight of his head on your lap or the sound of his steady breathing, acts as a somatic anchor. He pulls you back into the safety of the present moment.
Non-Judgmental Attunement: Winston doesn't need you to explain your trauma. He senses your nervous system's shifts. His calm presence lowers stress, making it easier for your brain to engage in the hard work of reprocessing.
Winston as a resource: One of the phases in EMDR is creating resources. Winston is a literal, living, breathing resource. Having him in the room makes the deep work feel manageable. Petting him and noticing him can shift the nervous system from fight, flight, freeze, fawn into safe, calm, and connected.
Should I Try EMDR at Lakewood Holistic Counseling?
I am a Certified EMDR Therapist, which means I have gone beyond the basic training to achieve a high level of clinical mastery and supervision in this modality. By combining the precision of EMDR with the depth of Attachment-Based Psychotherapy, I offer a specialized path for those with complex histories who haven't found relief in traditional talk therapy.
What sets Lakewood Holistic Counseling apart is that I treat the whole person. Instead of getting caught up in the formality of the interventions, I focus on how you are responding and stay with you.
In my office, you are not just a traumatic memory to be processed. You are a person who deserves to be fully seen, known, and understood. By integrating the art of relational therapy with the science of EMDR and the safety of animal companionship, I provide a multi-sensory space for healing.
Your Next Step
You have been carrying these memories by yourself for a long time. You have worked hard to try to move forward. EMDR offers a way to process the past so you can be fully present for your life today.
Ready to see if EMDR Therapy is right for you? Click the button below to schedule a free 20-minute consultation.
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