EMDR Therapy in Dallas

Some memories do not settle. Years after the event, a sound, a smell or a passing reminder can bring back the same alarm the body felt at the time, as though the experience has not finished being processed.

EMDR is one of the approaches used at Campbell Recovery Services in Dallas to work with memories like these. This page explains what it involves, who on the team is trained in it, and how to find out whether it is a sensible fit for you.

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. In a session you bring a specific distressing memory to mind while following a repeated left-to-right stimulus, most often guided eye movements, sometimes sounds or taps. The memory is held in short, contained bursts, with pauses in between to check what has shifted.

The work is structured in phases. Early sessions are about history and preparation, understanding what you want to work on and making sure you have ways to steady yourself before anything difficult is opened up. Processing comes after that, and only once the groundwork is in place. Later sessions review what has changed and what still needs attention.

Two things are worth saying plainly. EMDR asks you to make contact with material that is uncomfortable, and it is not the right starting point for everyone or for every situation. It is also not a substitute for counseling. Here it is used as part of ongoing therapeutic work rather than instead of it.

Campbell Recovery Services is an outpatient counseling practice, not a treatment centre. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in crisis, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24 hours a day.

Two counselors on the Campbell team are trained in EMDR.

Stephen Kleine, M.A., LPC, LCDC, is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional – Level 2, and is EMDR Trained and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) Trained. His modalities are trauma-informed and stem from a psychodynamic approach, and include attachment theory, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), internal family systems (IFS) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) alongside EMDR. He sees individuals and couples, and also focuses on first responders and veterans.

Christie Dixon, MA, LPC, is EMDR Trained and Advanced ART Trained. She specializes in helping individuals struggling with addiction and compulsive behaviors rooted in unresolved trauma, and her trauma and attachment work includes adoption-related dynamics. Her approach is integrative, direct and non-judgmental.

Both are listed with the rest of the practice on our team page.

Both counselors above are also trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy, usually shortened to ART. Like EMDR it uses guided eye movements while a person works with a distressing memory. The differences are in structure and pacing: ART follows a more scripted sequence, and it is often delivered over fewer sessions.

ART is not run as a separate program here. It sits alongside EMDR as another option a trained counselor may draw on, and which of the two suits a particular person is a clinical judgement rather than something to pick from a page.

One point of confusion worth clearing up: Accelerated Resolution Therapy is not the same thing as art therapy, which uses creative work such as drawing or painting. Campbell Recovery Services does not offer art therapy.

EMDR is one part of a wider approach to trauma at Campbell, and it is rarely used on its own.

Trauma therapy in Dallas is the broader service this sits inside, and it is the place to start if you are not yet sure which approach you are looking for.

Brainspotting is another approach the practice offers for trauma, using where you hold your gaze rather than repeated eye movements. The Safe and Sound Protocol is a listening therapy used alongside ongoing counseling, and some clients use it while doing other trauma work.

Where the injury is a betrayal by someone close, betrayal trauma counseling addresses that specifically. Where trauma and addiction sit together, EMDR is often used alongside addiction counseling rather than instead of it.

Whether EMDR is a sensible fit for you is a question for a mental health assessment. That is where the decision gets made, not before.

Do I have to describe everything that happened? No. EMDR does not require a detailed retelling of events. You need to be able to bring the memory to mind, but how much you say about it out loud is something you and your counselor work out together.

How many sessions does it take? There is no fixed number. It depends on what you are working on, how much preparation is needed first, and what else is going on in your life. Anyone who tells you a specific figure before meeting you is guessing.

Is EMDR the same as hypnosis? No. You stay awake, aware and in control throughout, and you can stop at any point.

Is it only for combat or single-incident trauma? No. It is used with a range of experiences, including trauma that built up over years rather than happening once.

What if EMDR turns out not to be right for me? Then it is not used. It is one option among several here, and preparation exists partly so that this question gets answered before processing begins.

To ask whether EMDR makes sense in your situation, get in touch or call (214) 538-4088.