Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in Richmond, VA

What is EMDR therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured therapy for the lasting effects of trauma. While you briefly bring a distressing memory to mind, your therapist guides you through bilateral stimulation: side-to-side eye movements, alternating taps, or tones that switch from one ear to the other. Over repeated sets, the memory tends to lose its emotional charge. You still remember what happened, but it stops feeling like it is happening now.

EMDR is recommended in clinical practice guidelines for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including guidance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the World Health Organization. At Skypoint Recovery, EMDR is delivered by clinicians trained in the method, as one part of a broader treatment plan.

Why treat trauma during addiction recovery?

Many people who come to treatment in Richmond have lived through something that still shows up in their bodies and their days: nightmares, a startle response that never switches off, numbness, or memories that hit without warning. Alcohol and drugs often began as a way to quiet those symptoms. When the substance is gone and the trauma is left untreated, the pull to return to it can stay strong.

EMDR gives you a way to work on the source of that distress. Research on EMDR specifically for substance use disorders is still developing, so it is used alongside core addiction treatment, never in place of it. The aim is to ease the trauma symptoms that feed cravings and relapse, while CBT, group therapy, and other services build the day-to-day skills of recovery.

What are the eight phases of EMDR?

EMDR follows a standard eight-phase protocol. The phases do not map one to one onto sessions: some take several sessions, and a single session can touch more than one.

• 1. History and treatment planning: Your therapist learns about your history, symptoms, and substance use, and together you choose which memories or triggers to work on first.
• 2. Preparation: You learn what to expect and practice calming and grounding skills, so you have reliable ways to settle yourself before any memory work begins.
• 3. Assessment: For a chosen memory, you identify the image, the negative belief tied to it (for example, "I am not safe"), the belief you would rather hold, and the feelings and body sensations that come with it.
• 4. Desensitization: While holding the memory in mind, you follow sets of bilateral stimulation, pausing between sets to notice whatever comes up, until the memory feels much less distressing.
• 5. Installation: The positive belief you chose is strengthened and linked with the memory.
• 6. Body scan: You check for any remaining tension or discomfort in your body, which is then processed further.
• 7. Closure: Every session ends with you back on steady ground, using your grounding skills if needed, whether or not the memory is fully processed.
• 8. Reevaluation: The next session starts by checking how you have been and whether earlier work has held, then planning what to focus on next.

What does an EMDR session feel like?

You stay awake, aware, and in control throughout. EMDR is not hypnosis, and you can stop a set at any time by raising a hand or saying so. You also do not need to describe every detail of a memory out loud, which some people find makes trauma work feel more approachable.

During and after processing, it is normal to notice strong emotions, new memories or images, or physical sensations. Some people feel tired afterward, others lighter. Vivid dreams or stirred-up feelings between sessions can happen too, and your therapist will help you plan for them.

Where does EMDR fit in Skypoint’s programs?

Readiness matters more than speed. Trauma processing usually begins once you have some stability in your recovery, coping skills you can rely on, and support around you. For many people, that means starting with history and preparation while attending our Partial Hospitalization Program or Intensive Outpatient Program, then moving into memory work when you and your therapist agree the time is right.

EMDR is delivered in individual sessions and coordinated with the rest of your care, including dual diagnosis treatment for PTSD, anxiety, or depression. Whether EMDR is part of your plan is decided at your assessment and revisited as you go. If it is not the right fit yet, other trauma-informed work can come first.

Is this the right fit for you?

• People with PTSD or trauma symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, or constant alertness
• Anyone who notices that cravings spike when certain memories or reminders come up
• People who have talked about a trauma before but still feel it as if it were happening now
• Those who find it hard to describe painful experiences in detail out loud
• People with steady footing in treatment who are ready to work on what sits underneath their substance use

Frequently asked questions