Therapies · EMDR · Phoenixville · Philadelphia · Avondale
EMDR is available with trained clinicians at our Phoenixville, Center City Philadelphia and Avondale offices, and within our statewide virtual IOP where clinically appropriate.
If cravings, nightmares, panic or a permanent sense of being on guard trace back to something that happened to you, EMDR treats the memory rather than only the symptom.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. While you hold a distressing memory in mind, your therapist guides brief sets of bilateral stimulation — eye movements, taps or tones — and the memory is reprocessed so it stops carrying the same physical charge.[1]
You do not have to narrate the event in detail, which is one reason people who cannot bring themselves to talk through trauma often tolerate EMDR.
EMDR is not hypnosis, and it does not erase memories. What changes is the response: the memory becomes something that happened rather than something still happening.
It is delivered in structured phases. Preparation and stabilization come first — often with DBT distress tolerance skills — and reprocessing only begins when you are steady enough for it.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Noah Bass, MD — Medical Director.
Last updated:
EMDR is delivered in individual sessions with your therapist inside PHP or IOP, so you are never sent home alone right after difficult work.
Your therapist identifies which memories are driving current symptoms and which ones to target first — and in what order.
Grounding, containment and distress tolerance skills come before reprocessing. This phase is not optional and is not rushed.
The image, the belief attached to it ("I am not safe," "it was my fault"), the emotion and where you feel it in your body.
Short sets of bilateral stimulation while the memory is held in mind, repeated until distress drops.
Strengthening a truer belief and checking that the body has settled with it, not just the mind.
Because EMDR happens inside PHP or IOP, group and staff support are in the building for the rest of the day.
Want to know if EMDR is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342Choose the right schedule
Start with the support you need now, then step down as recovery becomes more stable.
About 6 hours a day · 5 days a week
Our most structured outpatient level of care, with a full clinical day at our Phoenixville, Philadelphia or Avondale office while you continue living at home.
Explore our PHP program →9–15 hours a week · Day or evening
A flexible in-person schedule for people who need substantial addiction treatment while balancing work, school, family or a step down from PHP.
Explore our IOP program →Secure online care · Statewide access
Clinically appropriate Pennsylvania residents can join structured groups and therapy from home without traveling to one of our three offices.
Explore our statewide virtual IOP →Trauma and addiction travel together constantly. Treating only the substance use leaves the engine running.
EMDR is recognized as an effective, trauma-focused psychotherapy for PTSD by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense clinical practice guideline, and by the World Health Organization.[1][2]
For many people, symptom improvement comes in fewer sessions than open-ended talk therapy requires, which matters in a time-limited outpatient program.[1]
Sequencing matters more than speed. We stabilize first, and we do not begin reprocessing while someone is in active withdrawal or unstable.
EMDR pairs well with Seeking Safety groups, DBT skills and psychiatric medication management — all under one roof, coordinated by one team.
Want to know if EMDR is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342We track every client from admission to discharge with the BARC-10 recovery capital scale and the PHQ-9 / GAD-7 mental health screens. These are our own program results.
53%
of clients complete our PHP and IOP programs — vs. a national average near 26% for similar outpatient programs.
+9
point average gain on the BARC-10 recovery capital scale from admission to discharge.
-5.95
point average drop in combined PHQ-9 / GAD-7 anxiety and depression scores during treatment.
2215 Kimberton Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460
Serving Phoenixville, Kimberton, Royersford, Collegeville, Spring City, Pottstown, King of Prussia, Norristown, Malvern, Exton, Downingtown and West Chester.
Learn about our Phoenixville office →1026 Winter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Serving Center City, Chinatown, Washington Square West, Rittenhouse, South Philadelphia, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, University City and the Main Line.
Learn about our Philadelphia office →1284 Gap Newport Pike, Avondale, PA 19311
Serving Avondale, Kennett Square, West Grove, Oxford, Landenberg, Coatesville and the Route 41 corridor of southern Chester County.
Learn about our Avondale office →In person at Phoenixville, Center City Philadelphia and Avondale, with virtual options for clinically appropriate Pennsylvania residents.
EMDR is one part of a treatment plan built around you. These are the other approaches your therapist may combine with it.
The backbone of our groups and individual sessions — mapping triggers, thoughts and behavior.
Learn more about CBT — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy →Distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal skills for high-intensity emotions.
Learn more about DBT — Dialectical Behavior Therapy →Present-focused group model for PTSD and substance use, treated at the same time.
Learn more about Seeking Safety →Brain-based training for focus, sleep and nervous-system regulation in early recovery.
Learn more about Neurofeedback →Two one-on-one sessions a week with your own therapist — not one a month.
Learn more about Individual Therapy →Small process groups of five to seven people, so you actually get time to talk.
Learn more about Group Therapy →Insurance accepted
Don't see your plan? Call (610) 233-4342 — we'll check your benefits.
Need detox or inpatient first?
If you need medical detox or a residential stay before outpatient care, call us — we'll help coordinate placement with trusted partners and plan your step-down into our PHP or IOP when you're ready.
No. EMDR requires you to hold the memory in mind, not to narrate it. Many clients choose EMDR for exactly this reason.
It depends on how many memories are driving symptoms. Single-incident trauma may take a handful of reprocessing sessions; complex or repeated trauma takes longer. Your therapist will give you a realistic picture after the assessment phase.
Stabilization comes first. We do not begin reprocessing during active withdrawal or acute instability — we build coping skills, then reprocess.
Yes, virtual EMDR is possible for clinically appropriate clients, and your therapist will assess whether in-person is the safer setting for your history.
EMDR is provided inside our PHP and IOP programs, which most major insurance plans cover. Call (610) 233-4342 and we will verify your benefits.
Want to know if EMDR is right for you?
Call (610) 233-4342Citations link to the original government and research sources. This page is educational and is not medical advice.
Confidential assessment, trauma-trained clinicians, and stabilization before reprocessing. Our phones are answered 24/7.