Counseling & Nature Therapy Center
EMDR Therapy in Frisco, TX
At Counseling & Nature Therapy Center, we offer EMDR therapy in Frisco, TX to help individuals process trauma, reduce emotional overwhelm, and reconnect with a sense of calm and safety.
If you’ve tried traditional talk therapy and still feel stuck, EMDR offers a different path - one that works directly with how the brain and nervous system store distressing experiences.
What is EMDR, and how can it help?
Trauma can look different for each person. Many people are familiar with hypervigilance, rage, nightmares or flashbacks as symptoms of trauma, but did you know it can also look like depression and anxiety, self-doubt, panic attacks, fear, and negative self-talk.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an effective, research-based approach to treating trauma.
Traumatic symptoms can be as unique as the people experiencing them.
Most symptoms that emerge from PTSD are due to the maladaptive encoding, and/or incomplete processing, of traumatic or disturbing adverse life experiences, which impairs a person’s ability to integrate these experiences in an adaptive manner. Adverse life experiences can impact mental health and physical health.
Rather than focusing on retelling your story in detail, EMDR helps your brain reprocess memories so they lose their emotional intensity and no longer trigger the same reactions.
How Trauma Lives in the Nervous System
Trauma is not just something you think about - it’s something your body holds.
When experiences overwhelm your system, your brain may store them in a way that keeps them “active.” This can lead to patterns of:
- Hypervigilance (feeling on edge, anxious)
- Intrusive thoughts or memories
- Emotional shutdown or numbness
- Difficulty feeling present or safe
EMDR works directly with these patterns, helping the nervous system shift from survival mode into a state of regulation and integration.
What can I expect
Eight phases, and nobody skips to the hard part
Your therapist will meet with you, build a relationship and make a treatment plan based on the eight phases of EMDR. The first two are entirely preparation - the reprocessing does not begin until you and your therapist both think it should.
- 1
History taking
The clinician determines the suitability of EMDR therapy for the client and for the presenting problem and determines whether the timing is appropriate. Based on the presenting issue, the clinician explores targets for future EMDR reprocessing from negative events in the client’s life. The clinician prepares a treatment plan with attention to past and present experiences, and future clinical issues. It is also important to identify positive or adaptive aspects of the client’s personality and life experience. Coping skills may be explored and enhanced before starting EMDR.
- 2
Preparation
The clinician discusses the therapeutic framework of EMDR with the client and gives sufficient information so the client can give informed consent. The therapist prepares the client for EMDR reprocessing by establishing a relationship sufficient to give the client a sense of safety and foster the client’s ability to tell the therapist what they are experiencing throughout the reprocessing. The client develops mastery of skills in self-soothing and in affect regulation as appropriate to facilitate dual awareness during the reprocessing sessions and to maintain stability between sessions.
- 3
Assessment
Gathering information about previous disturbing events and negative cognitions, rating those through subjective units of distress. A positive goal cognition is established, and the validity of the cognition is assessed.
- 4
Desensitization
The memory is activated and the clinician asks the client to notice their experiences while the clinician provides alternating bilateral stimulation. The client may report new insights, associations, information, and emotional, sensory, somatic or behavioral shifts. The clinician intervenes with specific techniques if processing is blocked. The desensitization process continues until the distress level is reduced to zero.
- 5
Installation
The therapist first asks the client to check for a potential new positive belief related to the target memory. The goal is to help reinforce the positive belief through bilateral stimulation during this stage, now that the disturbing image or memory is reprocessed.
- 6
Body scan
The therapist asks the client to hold in mind both the target event and the positive belief and to mentally scan the body. The therapist asks the client to identify any positive or negative bodily sensations, and continues bilateral stimulation when these are present until the client reports only neutral or positive sensations.
- 7
Closure
This occurs at the end of any session in which unprocessed, disturbing material has been activated, whether the target has been fully reprocessed or not. The therapist may use a variety of techniques to orient the client fully to the present and facilitate stability at the completion of the session and between sessions. It is important to note that processing can occur outside of session after this phase.
- 8
Reevaluation
The clinician assesses the effects of previous reprocessing of targets, looking for any new or old material that may need reprocessing, current triggers, anticipated future challenges, and systemic issues. If any residual or new targets are present, these are targeted and phases three to eight are repeated.
By engaging in EMDR, you can calm your nervous system, improve your relationships, and find inner resilience when you recall the traumatic events from your past. With a nonjudgmental and effective therapist, you can center yourself and regain your equilibrium after a traumatic event or even a lifetime of trauma.
Will I have to talk about every detail of the trauma?
You won’t be asked to relive the trauma in detail. EMDR focuses on the memory and its emotional impact, not on telling a full narrative like traditional talk therapy.
Nobody is going to ask you to start at the beginning.
During EMDR, your therapist will guide you through recalling aspects of a distressing experience while engaging in bilateral stimulation - eye movements, tapping, or sounds. That allows the brain to process the memory in a new, more adaptive way.
EMDR sits inside our trauma work
This approach targets the past, present, and future potential challenges. It helps alleviate symptoms, decreases or eliminates distress from the disturbing memory, helps improve view of the self, brings relief from bodily disturbance, and supports resolution of present and future anticipated triggers.
Clients frequently state that after EMDR they feel more peace around environmental triggers that remind them of the trauma, and an increased sense of calm in their nervous system.
What makes our care different
We are a trauma-focused group practice serving Frisco and the greater Dallas area, offering both in-person and virtual sessions.
Our team specializes in:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a form of psychotherapy designed to help the brain process upsetting experiences so they no longer trigger intense emotional and physical reactions.
How does EMDR work?
During EMDR, a therapist guides you to recall a troubling memory while providing bilateral stimulation (e.g., side-to-side eye movements, taps, or tones) to help the brain reprocess the memory and reduce its emotional charge.
What can EMDR treat?
EMDR is primarily effective for trauma and PTSD, but it is also used for anxiety, panic, distressing memories, phobias, and other issues rooted in distressing life experiences.
Is EMDR safe?
Yes - when provided by a licensed, trained clinician, EMDR is safe. Therapists prepare clients with grounding and stability skills before processing begins.
Does EMDR therapy take a long time?
EMDR sessions typically last 60 minutes. The number of sessions needed depends on the complexity of the experiences and your pace of reprocessing. Some people see significant improvement within a few sessions, while others may take longer.
Can EMDR be done online?
Yes - EMDR can be delivered via secure telehealth platforms when appropriate and when both client and therapist are trained in online delivery. We offer video sessions across Texas.
Before you call
You don't have to have the words for it.
You don't need a diagnosis to call, or the right vocabulary. A sentence is enough - any of these would do:
- EMDR.
- Trauma therapy.
- Long term.
- A third-party perspective.
Say it however it comes out. We'll listen, and we'll tell you who on the team fits.
Ready to book, or want a free consultation?
We can get you scheduled within 24 hours, often within the same week you call.
Call 469-731-8369 or book a free consultation below.
EMDR Therapy at Counseling and Nature Therapy Center
If you’ve tried talk therapy and still feel stuck, say that on the call. It is the most useful thing you can tell us.
We also offer trauma and PTSD therapy, anxiety and depression therapy, grief therapy, postpartum therapy, therapy for teens, ADHD therapy and Walk and Talk sessions.