EMDR Therapy in Denver LoHi and Golden
What EMDR Therapy Can Look Like: Sample Treatment Journeys
Wondering what EMDR with our team actually involves? These fictional, composite examples show how a plan can come together: where we might begin, what we’d work on, and what change can feel like. They aren’t real clients or guarantees. Your plan will be built around you.
In EMDR, we build a target map: the past memories, present-day triggers, and future situations we’ll work through, in a thoughtful order. It’s one way we keep therapy focused and moving.
Explore the three examples
Example 1 · Fictional composite
Perfectionism and work anxiety
I’m doing well on the outside, but I never feel good enough.
Starting point
An adult seeks help for perfectionism, work anxiety, difficulty resting, and fear of disappointing others.
An illustrative pathway
Early weekly sessions focus on understanding these patterns, identifying relevant experiences, and developing tools for managing distress. When the person is ready, EMDR processing addresses experiences connected to criticism, failure, and responsibility.
Sample EMDR target map
Possible past experiences
- Bringing home a good report card and hearing a parent focus only on the one lower grade.
- Being corrected publicly by a teacher and feeling humiliated.
- Making a mistake during an early job and being told, “You’ve let everyone down.”
- A specific childhood moment when keeping a parent calm felt more important than expressing personal needs.
Possible present-day triggers
- Opening an email from a supervisor that says, “Can we talk?”
- Finishing the workday with tasks still incomplete.
- Being asked to take on another responsibility when already overwhelmed.
Practicing a different future
Imagining receiving constructive feedback at work: staying grounded, asking questions, and making any necessary changes while maintaining a sense of personal worth.
Over a possible 3 to 6 month course, changes might include less distress after feedback, fewer evenings replaying work conversations, and greater ease setting boundaries. If improvement holds, appointments may gradually become less frequent.
What progress could feel like
“I can care about doing a good job without feeling that every mistake says something about my worth.”
Example 2 · Fictional composite
After a car accident
The event is over, but I still feel on edge.
Starting point
Following a frightening car accident, an adult experiences driving anxiety, intrusive memories, and disrupted sleep.
An illustrative pathway
Assessment and preparation establish what the person needs to approach the memory safely. Over the following months, EMDR processing addresses the accident and related triggers, alongside support for returning to everyday activities.
Sample EMDR target map
Possible past experiences
- The moment just before the collision, when the person realized what was about to happen.
- A particularly distressing image, sound, or body sensation during the impact.
- Sitting in the vehicle immediately afterward, feeling trapped or unsure whether help was coming.
- An earlier frightening driving experience, if assessment reveals that it contributes to the current fear.
These may be different parts of the same event; they would not automatically require separate processing.
Possible present-day triggers
- Approaching an intersection that resembles the accident location.
- Hearing sudden braking or a car horn.
- Riding as a passenger when traffic slows abruptly.
Practicing a different future
Imagining driving through a previously triggering intersection: noticing the surroundings, tolerating ordinary uncertainty, and responding to traffic with appropriate attention and a greater sense of choice.
As distress decreases and confidence grows, sessions may become less frequent while checking that progress holds in different situations.
What progress could feel like
“I can remember what happened without feeling as though it’s happening again.”
Single-incident trauma like this often responds well to a focused course of several months. Additional trauma or other concerns can extend treatment.
Example 3 · Fictional composite
Growing up as the caretaker
I’ve spent my life taking care of everyone else.
Starting point
An adult with a history of childhood emotional neglect struggles with shame, relationship anxiety, difficulty recognizing personal needs, and periods of feeling disconnected or shut down.
An illustrative pathway
The first several months emphasize trust, understanding protective responses, and building greater emotional stability. Early changes might include noticing needs sooner, recovering more easily after conflict, or setting a small boundary.
Sample EMDR target map
Possible past experiences
- A specific evening spent comforting an upset parent while feeling frightened and alone.
- Being called “selfish” after asking for help or expressing a need.
- Being blamed for a sibling’s behavior or expected to prevent family conflict.
- Reaching for comfort and being dismissed, ignored, or told to stop crying.
- A later relationship experience in which saying no led to rejection or withdrawal.
Possible present-day triggers
- Receiving a distressed message from a family member and feeling immediately responsible for fixing the problem.
- Noticing a partner’s disappointment after expressing a preference.
- Asking for support and encountering a delayed response.
Practicing a different future
Imagining telling a loved one, “I care about you, and I’m not available for that tonight”: staying connected to personal needs, tolerating the other person’s feelings, and choosing how to respond without automatically abandoning the boundary.
Over time, EMDR, attachment work, and parts work may address earlier experiences in manageable steps. This pathway may extend well beyond six months, with session frequency adjusted as progress becomes more stable.
What progress could feel like
“My needs matter, and I have more choice in how I respond.”
If this example feels familiar, you may find more support on our Adult Children of Dysfunctional Family Systems page.
A place to grow. A place to return to.
We love helping clients spread their wings and reach the point where regular sessions are no longer needed.
And when life brings a new challenge, you’re welcome to reconnect. A transition, loss, relationship difficulty, or resurfacing trigger doesn’t erase the work you’ve done.
You can have a therapy home here, even after regular sessions end. We’ll help you explore returning care based on your current needs and therapist availability.
Curious what your plan could look like?
A free consultation is a no-pressure way to share what’s going on, ask questions about our approach, and talk through fees and payment options.