Trauma therapy

A woman with headphones is playing a game while a woman in a pink shirt is in a therapy session using a neurofeedback machine in a cozy, decorated room with a mirror, lamp, plants, and framed pictures on the walls.

Heal from pain & trauma and live a fulfilling life.

Problems in the present often have their roots in the past. If we can bring about a healing of “heart scars” from those earlier life experiences, we can break free from the bondage of psychological distress and become all that God has intended us to be.

In addition to traditional cognitive behavioral therapy, Centered For Life offers innovative treatment methods to process and cope with the traumas of life such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy).

EMDR is a clinically proven psychotherapy approach that uses eye movement stimulation to help your brain heal from the emotional distress of memories from past trauma.

ART is also an evidence-based treatment method that uses eye movement to help your brain heal by rewriting the visual imagery associated with specific current challenges and negative memories.

  • A young man with dark hair looking out a window with blinds, illuminated by natural light, in a dimly lit room.

    Struggling with depression?

    EMDR is a non-drug treatment that can help you with depression, panic attacks, and anxiety.

  • A young man with dark curly hair, sitting at a small table in a modern indoor setting, looking frustrated or stressed while using a laptop covered with various tech and programming stickers.

    Diagnosed with ADHD?

    EMDR helps decrease hyperactivity related to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

  • Hand holding a white measuring tape against a plain, light-colored wall.

    Suffering from eating disorders?

    EMDR helps create greater emotional control that leads to an increase in self-esteem.

  • A woman with short curly hair and makeup sitting at a bar with a glass of whiskey and a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey.

    Battling an addiction?

    EMDR, along with addiction treatment, can reduce negative feelings from addiction and the chance of relapse.

What happens during an EMDR session?

  • Two women sitting on a gray couch having a conversation in an office or lounge setting.

    1. Assessment

    The process starts with an initial meeting with one of our clinical counselors to determine a treatment plan. We’ll ask you a set of questions to activate the negative experience and the desired resolution.

  • Two women in a therapy or counseling session, with one woman using an EMDR device connected to a monitor, in a brightly decorated room with a large sunburst mirror, a lamp, and framed pictures on the wall.

    2. Bilateral Stimulation

    Short sets of rapid eye movement or other forms of bilateral stimulation are applied while you’re encouraged to “free associate” from the painful memory.

  • A person holding an open notebook or journal with white pages, using a pen to write, wearing a light-colored shirt and blue jeans.

    3. Evaluation

    We’ll evaluate the outcome of your session together. Your treatment plan may continue with EMDR until your past experiences are updated to an adaptive present perspective.

  • 4. Integration

    Once you have updated your brain’s association with traumatic experiences, you and your therapist will work together to integrate new perspectives into your daily life. Long-standing issues may take several sessions.

  • “Your ministry has been a great blessing to me, and I believe it is a key component of the legacy we are preparing for our children and grandchildren. So, I want you to know how grateful I am for your loving outreach.

    Thanks to EMDR therapy I went from 0 to 100, my soul has been fed and watered and I have started a new journey. I've learned to look inside to heal and ask Jesus to join my journey. Centered for Life leads gently and with great passion and kindness.”

You might be wondering…

  • The process starts with an initial meeting with one of our clinical counselors to determine a treatment plan that may include therapy approaches and EMDR sessions to accomplish your goals. Contact our office and we'll schedule a counseling session with one of our clinical counselors.

  • EMDR focuses on the brain's ability to constantly learn, taking past experiences, and updating them with present information EMDR breaks through past emotionally charged experiences and helps you let go of the past and update your experiences to a healthier present perspective.

  • No. During an EMDR or ART processing session, you are fully present, awake and in control. EMDR will encourage your mind to “free associate” and identify related memories or emotions. ART will focus your mind on healing from a specific trauma.

  • Yes, you may. Emotions and sensations may come up during processing; however, your therapist will help you prepare for this and safely manage your emotional repsonses. Once those feelings are processed, they rarely come back with the same intensity.

  • EMDR, as with all therapy methods, will help you accomplish your treatment goals through a process over time. The length of time it takes will depend on the complexity of the issues you are working through. EMDR is often only one of several treatment approaches that will be used together to help you heal from past trauma.

  • EMDR and ART both use guided eye movements to help the brain process distressing memories, and may also use other types of “bilateral stimulation” like sound or touch.

    EMDR works to gradually reduce the emotional sensitivity of past traumas. Through guided sessions with your counselor, you’ll reprocess the core beliefs associated with various memories. EMDR uses “free association,” a gradual process that allows the brain to assess thoughts and concerns related to the painful memory.

    ART accelerates the mind’s healing by using guided visualization focused on one issue at a time. This process can work rapidly, and some feel relief from their trauma in as little as one session.

    Your counselor can help you determine which of these methods is a fit for your recovery journey.