The Body Keeps the Score... But it doesn't have to.

Trauma Therapy & EMDR

Something happened, and part of you is still there. Or a lot of things happened, over years, and you don't even have a single event to point to, just a nervous system that never learned it was allowed to stand down.

You might not even call it trauma. That word can feel too big, reserved for combat and disasters, and yours was "not that bad," or "a long time ago," or "other people had it worse." But your body keeps a different record than your story does. If you startle too easily, or go numb, or brace for a threat that isn't in the room, or find that certain things drop you straight back into a moment you thought you were done with, that's not weakness or drama. That's a nervous system doing exactly what it was trained to do, still trying to protect you from something that's over.

Why talking about it sometimes isn't enough

Here's what a lot of people discover: they've talked about the thing, in detail, sometimes for years, and they understand it completely, and it still has the same grip. That's because trauma isn't stored like a normal memory you can reason with. It's stored in the body, in the alarm system, below the level where talk reaches.

That's what EMDR is for. It's an evidence-based approach that helps the brain actually reprocess a stuck memory so it stops firing the alarm every time something brushes against it. People are often surprised that it works on things they'd given up on, precisely because it gets underneath the talking.

We don't only do it sitting still

Standard EMDR uses eye movements or tapping, and for a lot of people that's exactly right. But we've learned that for some people, the reprocessing goes deeper through movement, walking, working with the hands, being in motion, because a body that's been braced for years sometimes can't unlock while it's sitting rigid in a chair. We've done trauma work outside. We've done it in motion. If the still room isn't getting there, we're not going to keep you frozen in it just because that's how it's usually done.

What we work with

Single-event trauma, a crash, an assault, a loss, a medical event. Childhood trauma and the long shadow it throws. Complex trauma from years of an unsafe relationship or environment. Narcissistic and emotional abuse. The trauma underneath anxiety, substance use, and grief, which is often where it's actually living.

How we work, and how carefully

Trauma work is done at your pace, not ours, and never faster than your system can handle. We don't drag you back through the worst thing on day one. We build stability and safety first, and we go toward the hard material only when you're resourced enough to do it without being retraumatized. Going too fast is its own kind of harm, and we don't do it.

Nobody in this building will flinch at what you bring in. Whatever happened, whatever you did to survive it, we've sat with it before and we're not going to make you manage our reaction on top of your own.

In our Greeley office, or by telehealth across Colorado, including Loveland and the surrounding area.

If you're in crisis right now, or thinking about ending your life, please call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). It's free, confidential, and available 24/7. We can pick up the deeper work when you're safe.

Frequently asked

Does EMDR really work? It sounds strange.
It does sound strange, and it's one of the most well-researched trauma treatments there is. It's recommended by the major bodies that evaluate this stuff. You don't have to believe in it for it to work.

I don't have a single traumatic event. Does this still apply?
Yes. A lot of trauma is cumulative, years of an environment that never felt safe, with no single scene to point at. That "no big event" version is real trauma and it responds to this work.

Will I have to relive it in detail?
Not the way people fear. EMDR in particular doesn't require you to narrate every detail out loud, and we build safety and stability before going near the hard material. You stay in control of the pace throughout.

Do you take my insurance?
Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare and Optum, and every Colorado Medicaid plan, with a sliding scale for private pay. Check your actual per-session cost in about thirty seconds, no phone call.