EMDR & 5-AMDR Therapy
What Is EMDR & 5-AMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, known as EMDR, is one of the most thoroughly researched approaches available for treating trauma.
Developed in the late 1980s, EMDR engages the brain's natural processing systems through bilateral stimulation, most commonly guided eye movements. Over time, this helps distressing memories become less activating and easier to hold.
At Mindful Living Group, EMDR is delivered within a trauma-informed framework that honors both the clinical evidence behind the approach and the person receiving it.
5-AMDR Therapy was developed by Dr. Vince Nubla, PhD, LMFT, a provider at Mindful Living Group, and builds on the EMDR foundation with greater specificity and depth.
Where EMDR works with traumatic memory broadly, 5-AMDR assesses and directly targets five core trauma emotions that frequently drive symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. It combines EMDR reprocessing with Gestalt Therapy for emotional integration, offering a more layered path through unresolved trauma.
How EMDR & 5-AMDR Work in Session
Working With Traumatic Memories Safely
You do not need to describe your experience in detail or relive every moment of it. EMDR does involve briefly bringing a distressing memory and any associated thoughts, emotions, or body sensations into awareness in a paced, supported way, so it can be processed.
Structured and Paced
Sessions follow a clear protocol with preparation built in before any reprocessing begins, so you feel safe, well-resourced and prepared before more challenging or difficult memories are approached and processed.
Reaching What Sits Underneath
Rather than focusing only on the memory itself, EMDR and 5-AMDR also explore the emotions, beliefs and body-based responses connected to it. This can help reduce the intensity of trauma-related symptoms and support a greater sense of ease, clarity and choice in daily life.
Works Alongside Your Existing Therapy
Both approaches can run adjunctively, so if you are already working with a therapist you value, this can add to that work rather than replacing it.
Is EMDR Therapy a Good Fit for You?
- Do certain traumatic or uncomfortable memories still feel triggering or upsetting, even after years of working on them?
- Does your body react when a past experience comes to mind before you have had a chance to think about it?
- Do you feel that intellectually understanding what happened to you has not changed how it physically or emotionally feels in your body?
- Are you more interested in working on the root cause of your symptoms rather than working on the symptoms themselves?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, our EMDR and 5-AMDR providers are ready to help you.
