Evidence-based treatment that helps you identify and change the thought patterns driving addiction and mental health challenges. Used by every therapist at Valley Spring across all program levels.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a specialized, evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help individuals process and heal from traumatic experiences. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation -- typically guided eye movements -- to help the brain reprocess disturbing memories, reducing their emotional intensity and allowing healthier associations to form. Originally developed for PTSD, EMDR has proven effective for addiction, anxiety, depression, and other trauma-related conditions.
At Valley Spring Recovery Center, EMDR is offered by trained clinicians for clients whose addiction or mental health challenges are rooted in traumatic experiences. Our therapists use EMDR within individual sessions across all program levels, recognizing that unresolved trauma is often a driving force behind substance use and emotional distress. Under the clinical guidance of Henry Iwuala and Dr. Michael Olla, EMDR is integrated with our broader treatment approach for comprehensive healing.
EMDR is especially effective for people with co-occurring disorders -- those struggling with both substance use and mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. By addressing the thinking patterns that fuel both conditions, EMDR creates lasting change from the inside out.
EMDR follows an eight-phase protocol. Your therapist begins with history-taking and treatment planning, then moves to preparation where you learn self-regulation techniques. During the assessment phase, specific target memories are identified. The desensitization phase uses bilateral stimulation while you focus on the traumatic memory, allowing the brain to reprocess it. Installation strengthens positive beliefs, body scan checks for residual tension, and closure ensures stability between sessions. Re-evaluation tracks progress.
The first phase of EMDR focuses on awareness. Your therapist helps you recognize the automatic thoughts, cognitive distortions, and core beliefs that drive unhealthy behaviors. These might include catastrophizing ("everything is ruined"), all-or-nothing thinking ("if I slip once, I've failed"), or overgeneralization. At Valley Spring, this foundation is introduced in Week 1 of our Mental Health Program curriculum through dedicated EMDR Introduction sessions.
Once you can identify distorted thinking, you learn to challenge it. Your therapist guides you through techniques like cognitive restructuring, thought records, and Socratic questioning to test whether your thoughts are based in reality or fueled by emotion and habit. By Week 3 of treatment, our curriculum progresses to Cognitive Flexibility -- helping you challenge distortions, examine core beliefs, and build more balanced perspectives that support recovery.
The final phase translates insight into action. You practice new behavioral strategies -- such as grounding techniques, behavioral activation, exposure exercises, and relapse prevention planning -- that replace old patterns with constructive responses. These skills become tools you carry beyond treatment, helping you navigate triggers, cravings, and stressors in everyday life with confidence and clarity.
At Valley Spring Recovery Center, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a valued component of our comprehensive treatment approach. Our clinical team integrates EMDR techniques into individualized treatment plans across all program levels, ensuring every client receives the benefits of this approach.
This means whether you are in Partial Care, Intensive Outpatient, Virtual IOP, or our Outpatient Program, you will receive EMDR-informed treatment from day one. Our dually-licensed clinicians combine EMDR with complementary modalities like DBT, motivational interviewing, and trauma-focused approaches to create a treatment experience tailored to your unique needs.
Under the clinical leadership of Henry Iwuala, Clinical Director, and Dr. Michael Olla, Medical Director, our team ensures that EMDR is delivered with both clinical rigor and genuine compassion -- creating a safe space for the difficult work of changing deeply held thought patterns.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing has strong clinical evidence for treating a wide range of substance use and mental health disorders.
Generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and panic disorder
Major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder
Post-traumatic stress from trauma, abuse, or critical incidents
Alcohol, opioid, cocaine, and polysubstance addictions
Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions
Mood stabilization and managing manic-depressive episodes
Attention-deficit patterns, impulsivity, and focus challenges
Emotional regulation and interpersonal relationship patterns
Disordered eating patterns and body image distortions
Simultaneous substance use and mental health conditions
EMDR is not limited to a single program -- it is a core therapy modality integrated into every stage of care at Valley Spring.
Intensive daily EMDR sessions address acute thought distortions. Structured curriculum introduces EMDR fundamentals, thought records, and cognitive awareness during the most critical stabilization phase.
EMDR deepens with cognitive flexibility work -- challenging distortions, examining core beliefs, and building restructuring skills. Group EMDR sessions reinforce individual progress with peer support.
EMDR continues via telehealth with real-world application. Clients practice EMDR techniques in their daily environment while maintaining therapeutic support and accountability.
EMDR skills become lifelong tools. Alumni access ongoing CBT-informed groups and check-ins that reinforce healthy thinking patterns and prevent relapse long after primary treatment ends.
Decades of clinical research consistently demonstrate EMDR as one of the most effective therapeutic approaches for addiction and mental health treatment.
At Valley Spring, our commitment to evidence-based care means we do not simply offer EMDR as an add-on -- we build treatment plans around it. Our CARF accreditation reflects our adherence to the highest standards of clinical practice, and our therapists receive ongoing training to stay current with the latest EMDR research and techniques. This dedication to clinical excellence is what makes EMDR at Valley Spring not just a therapy session, but a transformative experience.
Speak with our admissions team to learn how EMDR can be part of your personalized recovery plan.
Whether it is your first session or your fiftieth, here is what EMDR looks like at Valley Spring Recovery Center.
Your first EMDR session is designed to feel safe, structured, and collaborative. You will not be asked to dive into deep emotional territory right away. Instead, your therapist will:
Most clients describe their first session as "surprisingly comfortable." Our therapists are skilled at building rapport quickly and creating a judgment-free space for honest conversation.
As treatment progresses, EMDR sessions become more focused and skills-oriented. You will move from awareness into active change:
In group EMDR sessions, you will also benefit from hearing how peers apply these techniques -- often gaining insights that deepen your own understanding and accelerate progress.
Our admissions team is available to answer your questions and help you get started with treatment.