Mighty Minds Therapy offers EMDR therapy in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, serving children, teens, and adults in Denver, Arvada, Lakewood, Westminster, and the greater Denver metro area. EMDR therapy helps individuals process trauma, distressing experiences, anxiety, and negative beliefs that may continue to impact daily life. Telehealth EMDR therapy is also available throughout Colorado, Nevada, and Indiana when appropriate.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)is an evidence-based therapy approach that helps the brain process and heal from difficult experiences so they no longer feel as overwhelming or distressing.
Many people come to EMDR therapy after experiencing something that felt overwhelming, frightening, or too much to handle at the time. Others come to EMDR because they feel stuck, anxious, triggered by certain situations, or continue to think about past experiences that still feel upsetting.
Sometimes people know exactly what event is bothering them, and other times they just know that they feel anxious, on edge, overwhelmed, or not like themselves.
EMDR therapy helps the brain process these experiences so they can be remembered without feeling like they are still happening in the present. The goal of EMDR is not to erase memories, but to reduce the distress associated with them and help individuals move forward feeling more calm, confident, and in control.
EMDR Therapy Can Help With…
“Our nervous system is always trying to figure out a way for us to survive, to be safe.”
~ Dr. Stephen Porges
What Happens in EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy follows a structured approach that includes history taking, preparation, identifying target memories or experiences, and using bilateral stimulation such as eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones while processing memories.
During EMDR, you remain aware of the present while briefly focusing on a memory, thought, or feeling. The bilateral stimulation helps the brain process the memory so it becomes less distressing and more integrated over time.
EMDR therapy also includes developing coping skills, emotional regulation skills, and strategies to help you feel safe and grounded before processing difficult memories. The pace of EMDR therapy is always guided by the client and clinical recommendations.
EMDR can be used with children, teens, and adults and may be used for single-incident trauma, complex trauma, anxiety, and other distressing experiences.
How EMDR Can Help
Through EMDR Therapy, Clients Often:
- Feel less distressed when thinking about past experiences
- Experience fewer emotional triggers
- Reduce anxiety and panic symptoms
- Improve emotional regulation
- Develop healthier beliefs about themselves
- Feel more confident and in control
- Improve sleep
- Reduce nightmares or intrusive memories
- Feel calmer and less overwhelmed
- Improve relationships
- Feel more present and less stuck in the past
EMDR therapy helps the brain process experiences so they no longer feel as intense, overwhelming, or disruptive to daily life.
EMDR therapy is often used alongside other therapy services depending on your needs. Mighty Minds Therapy also offers play therapy, child therapy, teen therapy, trauma therapy, parent coaching, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). We can help determine whether EMDR therapy alone or in combination with other therapy approaches would be the most helpful for you or your child.
EMDR and Play Therapy for Children
At Mighty Minds Therapy, our team of EMDR and play therapy trained clinicians integrates EMDR therapy and play therapy to support children who have experienced trauma, sudden loss, abuse, medical trauma, or other upsetting life events. This approach can be especially helpful for children who are not yet able to fully express their experiences with words alone.
Because children often communicate through play, imagination, movement, drawing, and storytelling, EMDR therapy with children may look different than EMDR with teens or adults. By combining EMDR and play therapy, we provide a developmentally appropriate approach that helps children process difficult experiences, reduce distress, build coping skills, and move toward healing.
Treatment is tailored to each child’s developmental level, emotional needs, and personal experiences. We also work closely with parents and caregivers to strengthen support outside of sessions and help each child feel understood, supported, and safe throughout the healing process.
Why EMDR and Play Therapy Work Well Together
Children often do not process difficult experiences in the same way adults do. They may show trauma through play, behavior, emotions, body responses, or relationships rather than through detailed verbal explanation. Integrating EMDR and play therapy allows trauma treatment to meet children where they are developmentally while still supporting meaningful trauma processing and healing.
This approach can be especially helpful for children who are struggling with:
- Trauma and traumatic experiences
- Medical trauma
- Sudden loss or grief
- Abuse or neglect
- Anxiety after upsetting events
- Behavioral changes after trauma
- Emotional dysregulation
- Distressing memories or fears
Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR Therapy
Take The Next Step
If you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, anxious, or impacted by past experiences, EMDR therapy may help you process these experiences and move forward feeling more calm and in control.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation to learn more about EMDR therapy and whether it may be a good fit for you or your child.
