EMDR Therapy Denver

Hi, my name is Briana Johnson and I’m an EMDR therapist in Denver!

Listen, on paper, life may look good. You’re done with school, you’re working in your career, you have (a) partner(s), but in the background you may be having difficulty concentrating, struggling to feel good, or having trouble moving forward in your relationships. Past trauma can show up in your life long after it’s over and you might be wondering, “Why can’t I get over this?”

You’re not doing anything wrong. Let’s work together to get you where you want to go.

I help people heal past trauma by taking the charge out of it so you can be productive at work, comfortable in relationships and feel more peace day-to-day.

If you’re ready to start feeling better, schedule a complimentary consultation with me today.

My approach to EMDR therapy in Denver

EMDR therapy will start like any other: we’ll get to know each other and get settled in. EMDR is technically 8 phases, but essentially 2: preparation and processing.

We start preparation by building “resources” for you that help you feel good. This will include things you have/are doing already: positive relationships in your life, areas you feel competent, activities that are nourishing for you. We’ll also build other resources: the ability to put away hard feelings when you need to, creating a “calm place” you can return to, somatic resources (ways to feel good in your body).

Once we have a good foundation, we’ll begin processing and I’ll be your guide as we take the charge out of past memories. People often describe the results of Denver EMDR therapy as feeling like a memory is far away or that it happened but cannot hurt them anymore. 

FAQs

  • When trauma happens to us, it can affect the way our brains process things. Trauma often does not get a “time stamp” in our mind and this can lead to flashbacks and nightmares as the brain is unable to tell the difference between “then and there” and “here and now.” EMDR (or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a way of bringing online our body’s innate ability to process information so we can reprocess traumatic memories into normal memories without charge. We can live in the moment with more peace and freedom.

  • People often describe the results of EMDR therapy as feeling like a memory is far away or that it happened but cannot hurt them any more. I’ve seen clients who were in a traumatic car accident and had stopped driving be able to buy a car again and drive to work everyday. I have worked with sexual assault survivors who experience so much healing from EMDR they are no longer triggered by trauma reminders and have the new problem of not relating as much to other survivors because they feel so much better. Having said that, it’s also important to know that EMDR is not a good fit for everyone and not everyone experiences healing the same way. If EMDR does not seem to be working, we get creative and make adjustments to tailor it to you and your situation.

  • During the preparation phase of EMDR we can meet every other week or weekly. I recommend weekly sessions while doing EMDR processing. This allows us to move towards healing fairly quickly but with enough time in between to integrate our work. Every other week sessions can make progress feel slow.

  • During EMDR, I typically meet for the regular 50-min therapy hour, but if we find we want more time to move through more material per session, 90-minute session are available. We can explore and find what works best for you.

Get help from an EMDR therapist in Denver

Trauma can hold you back from having a sustainable life where you can thrive. It makes everything more overwhelming. Give yourself to chance to heal and see how life could be on the other side. I’d love to be your guide. EMDR is honestly the closest I come to “magic” in therapy, and I’d love to chat and see if it’s the right fit for you!