Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has emerged as a trauma-focused therapy for treating addiction that addresses the underlying trauma that often drives substance use and other addiction disorders. Many individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) have experienced trauma, creating a neurological connection between traumatic memories and addictive behaviors. EMDR therapy helps break this connection by reprocessing these traumatic experiences to treat addiction and related disorders, allowing clients to develop healthier coping mechanisms that don’t rely on substances. Rather than focusing solely on stopping the addictive behavior, EMDR for addiction targets the root causes, making recovery more sustainable.
To learn more about EMDR for addiction treatment, contact us for a free, 15-minute consultation.
What Is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapeutic approach that was developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro. This modality employs bilateral stimulation, typically in the form of side-to-side eye movements, while clients engage in the recall of distressing memories. Initially conceived for the treatment of trauma, EMDR has been endorsed by prominent health organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the World Health Organization, as an effective therapeutic intervention.
EMDR therapy is a safe and effective treatment that adheres to a structured eight-phase protocol. This protocol includes history-taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation. The EMDR therapist prepares a treatment plan with the client that identifies key addiction issues, co-occurring disorders, traumatic experiences to reprocess, and positive emotions to install with an eye on treatment success. Distinct from traditional talk therapy, EMDR does not necessitate extensive discourse regarding traumatic events, thereby rendering it a viable option for clients who may find the verbal processing approach to treating trauma to be overwhelming.
How Does Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Work?
EMDR therapy works by stimulating the brain’s natural healing mechanisms through bilateral stimulation while simultaneously accessing traumatic memories. The EMDR process is believed to mimic the psychological state similar to REM sleep, during which the brain naturally processes experiences. During EMDR sessions, the therapist guides the client to focus on a disturbing memory while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tactile taps, or auditory tones). This dual attention allows the brain to reprocess the memory, weakening its emotional charge and enabling the formation of new, more adaptive associations.
Neurobiologically, EMDR treatment appears to facilitate communication between the amygdala (emotional center) and prefrontal cortex (rational thought), helping transform overwhelming emotions tied to traumatic memories into more manageable narratives.
What Is Substance Use Disorder (Substance Abuse)?
Substance use refers to a pattern of harmful use of any substance, including alcohol, prescription medications, or illicit drugs, that leads to significant impairment or distress. Substance use may progress to substance use disorder (SUD), a diagnosable medical condition. Per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – Fifth Edition (DSM-5), substance use disorder is characterized by continued use despite negative consequences, inability to control consumption of a substance, development of tolerance (needing more of the substance for the same effect), and experiencing withdrawal symptoms when attempting to stop use of a substance. Please note that the term “substance abuse” was commonly used in reference to drug and alcohol addiction and SUD prior to the DSM-5.
The development of substance use disorder (SUD) typically involves complex interactions between genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and psychological vulnerabilities, with trauma exposure being a significant risk factor that creates neurological pathways connecting distressing emotions with substance-seeking behaviors.
What Is Gambling Disorder or Gambling Addiction?
Gambling addiction, also known as compulsive gambling or gambling disorder, is a behavioral addiction characterized by an uncontrollable urge to gamble despite negative consequences. It is a condition in which individuals repeatedly engage in gambling activities, such as betting on sports, playing casino games, or online gambling, even when it leads to financial problems, relationship issues, or emotional distress.
Gambling addiction is driven by changes in the brain’s reward system, similar to substance addiction, where the anticipation of winning triggers dopamine release, reinforcing compulsive behavior. Over time, individuals may chase losses, lie about their gambling, or struggle to stop despite wanting to. A gambling addiction treatment program often involves EMDR therapy to address underlying emotional triggers, as well as support groups and financial counseling to help regain control.
What Is Sexual Addiction?
Sex addiction, also known as compulsive sexual behavior or hypersexual disorder, is a condition characterized by an uncontrollable urge to engage in sexual activities despite negative consequences. Individuals with sex addiction may engage in excessive pornography use, multiple sexual encounters, compulsive masturbation, or risky sexual behaviors, often as a way to cope with emotional distress, stress, or trauma.
Similar to substance addiction, sex addiction involves changes in the brain’s reward system, where compulsive sexual behaviors become reinforced, leading to a cycle of cravings, temporary relief, and subsequent guilt or shame. Over time, these behaviors can interfere with relationships, work, and overall well-being. Effective treatment typically involves therapy, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), or 12-step programs, to address underlying emotional triggers, regulate compulsive urges, and develop healthier coping skills.
EMDR Treatment for Addiction
Using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for addiction treatment can be a powerful tool that addresses the underlying traumas and distressing memories that contribute to substance use and compulsive behaviors. Many individuals struggling with addiction have unresolved emotional pain, which can trigger cravings and reinforce self-destructive patterns. EMDR therapy helps by reprocessing these traumatic experiences, reducing their emotional intensity, and allowing individuals to develop healthier coping skills.
Additionally, using EMDR for addiction can target the specific triggers associated with addictive behaviors, such as feelings of shame, anxiety, or low self-worth, replacing negative beliefs with more adaptive and empowering ones. By weakening the link between past trauma and the urge to self-medicate, EMDR for addiction treatment supports long-term recovery, helping individuals build resilience and regain control over their lives.
Can EMDR Treat Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has demonstrated exceptional versatility in treating co-occurring mental health conditions alongside addiction, making it particularly valuable for integrated treatment approaches. The adaptive information processing model underlying EMDR allows therapists to address multiple psychological issues stemming from similar traumatic experiences or maladaptive beliefs. This integrated approach is crucial since many individuals have co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health conditions. By targeting the shared root causes, which is often unresolved trauma, EMDR can simultaneously reduce addiction symptoms while alleviating associated mental health issues. This dual-focus treatment is more efficient than addressing each condition separately and helps prevent the common cycle where untreated mental health symptoms trigger substance use relapse or vice versa.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
For many individuals, a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis co-occurs with substance use disorders (SUD). Studies indicate that approximately 45% of individuals with SUD also have comorbid PTSD, suggesting they are more likely to develop addiction as they attempt to self-medicate their symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. EMDR therapy is particularly effective for this dual diagnosis of comorbid PTSD and SUD, as it was originally developed specifically for trauma treatment. The therapy helps clients process traumatic memories that trigger both PTSD symptoms and substance cravings without requiring them to repeatedly narrate their traumatic experiences in detail.
Through bilateral stimulation, EMDR therapy facilitates the reprocessing of traumatic memories, reducing their emotional intensity and disconnecting them from substance-seeking behaviors. As PTSD treatment progresses and symptoms diminish (including hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, and emotional numbing), clients often experience a corresponding decrease in substance cravings, creating a foundation for sustainable recovery from both conditions.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders commonly co-occur with substance use disorders as many individuals turn to substances to temporarily relieve overwhelming anxiety symptoms. EMDR therapy treats addiction and anxiety by targeting the traumatic experiences and memories that contribute to both conditions. During EMDR treatment for co-occurring anxiety and addiction, therapists help clients identify and reprocess anxiety-provoking memories, situations that trigger anxiety-based substance cravings, and the anticipatory anxiety about facing life without chemical coping mechanisms.
The bilateral stimulation techniques help desensitize clients to anxiety triggers while simultaneously installing more adaptive beliefs about their ability to handle stress, resulting in stronger coping skills. As anxiety symptoms improve through EMDR therapy, clients report fewer substance cravings and greater confidence in their ability to maintain sobriety when facing stressful situations.
Depression
Depression and substance use disorders create a particularly challenging dual diagnosis, with each condition potentially exacerbating the other in a destructive cycle. However, EMDR therapy is an effective treatment that addresses this complex relationship by targeting the negative self-beliefs and traumatic memories that underlie both conditions.
During EMDR treatment, therapists help clients identify and reprocess distressing memories that reinforce depressive symptoms and thought patterns such as worthlessness, helplessness, and hopelessness. These negative beliefs often drive substance use as a form or self-medication to avoid emotional distress. The bilateral stimulation facilitates the integration of more positive and realistic self-perceptions while reducing the emotional charge of painful memories.
As depressive symptoms improve through EMDR therapy, clients typically experience decreased substance cravings and increased motivation for recovery. Additionally, EMDR can help address substance-induced depression by reprocessing shame and guilt associated with addiction, further supporting the recovery process by reducing the emotional impact of these negative emotions.
Trauma Disorders
Trauma disorders beyond Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), including Complex PTSD, Acute Stress Disorder, and Adjustment Disorders, frequently underlie substance use as individuals attempt to manage overwhelming emotions and physiological dysregulation through chemical means. EMDR therapy is uniquely positioned to address these conditions by directly targeting the traumatic memories and their associated negative beliefs.
For complex trauma resulting from prolonged or repeated traumatic experiences, EMDR therapy can be adapted to address multiple traumatic memories systematically, helping patients develop an integrated narrative of their experiences while reducing the pain caused by their emotional intensity. The therapy also helps repair disruptions in attachment that arise from traumatic experiences and self-regulation that often characterize complex trauma disorders.
As trauma symptoms resolve through EMDR treatment, clients typically experience a significant reduction in substance cravings, as the neurological pathways connecting trauma responses to addiction triggers are weakened. Treating addiction and traumatic experiences with this approach creates a foundation for sustainable recovery by addressing the root causes of addiction rather than merely managing its symptoms.
What Does Research Say About Using EMDR For Addiction Treatment?
Addiction research on using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for substance use disorders (SUDs) and behavioral addictions demonstrates promising results. Current evidence suggests that EMDR can be effective primarily by addressing underlying trauma that often coexists with substance use disorders. Addiction research has shown that many individuals struggling with addiction have a history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or unresolved trauma, which can trigger compulsive substance use or behavioral addictions as a way to cope with distress. EMDR helps by reprocessing these traumatic memories, reducing their emotional charge, and decreasing the need for maladaptive coping mechanisms like drug use, alcohol consumption, or gambling.
A two-arm randomized clinical trial conducted by Woodruff et al. (2024) found that EMDR therapy may help reduce cravings and relapse rates, particularly when trauma is a significant component of addiction. A study by Schäfer et al. (2017) revealed that EMDR therapy appears to be an effective treatment for clients with comorbid PTSD and substance use disorders. EMDR seems to work by processing traumatic memories that often trigger substance use as a coping mechanism. EMDR can also reduce cravings by targeting and desensitizing the triggers associated with addictive urges related to pathological gambling, thereby weakening the learned associations between distress and substance or behavioral use.
Should I Participate in Outpatient EMDR For Addiction Treatment If I Am Experiencing Withdrawal Symptoms?
Clients experiencing substance withdrawal should seek medical detox rather than outpatient EMDR therapy because withdrawal can involve serious psychological and physical symptoms that require medical supervision. Detox programs provide a safe, controlled environment where medical professionals can manage withdrawal symptoms, prevent complications, and offer necessary medications to ease discomfort.
Attempting EMDR therapy during acute substance withdrawal is not recommended, as the intense emotions and physical distress can interfere with a client’s ability to engage in the therapy effectively. Outpatient EMDR therapy is most beneficial once a person has stabilized from detox or, if needed, another inpatient addiction treatment program, as it helps process underlying trauma and addiction triggers without the added risks of unmanaged withdrawal symptoms. Prioritizing detox ensures a safer, more effective recovery process, allowing individuals to fully benefit from EMDR sessions and other therapeutic interventions once they are medically stable.
Choosing an addiction treatment program can feel overwhelming, especially when also navigating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms or other mental health conditions. To learn more about how EMDR therapy can be used for treating trauma, addiction, and co-occurring disorders, contact Balanced Mind of New York to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation.
How Do I Pay For EMDR Therapy for Addiction?
At Balanced Mind of New York, we offer multiple payment options to fit your needs and budget.
In-Network Insurance Provider: Balanced Mind of New York is proud to be an in-network provider for clients covered by Aetna insurance plans.
Out-of-Network Insurance Provider: For all other insurances, we provide superbills for reimbursement. We will contact your insurance company to confirm your eligibility and benefits, including the reimbursement rate for each session. We will also guide you through the process of sending superbills to your insurance.
If you have an out-of-network plan, any reimbursements will be sent directly to you from your insurance provider. Insurance typically reimburses 50-80% of the fee, but note that each policy is different.
Self-Payment Options: If no insurance coverage is available, clients may choose to pay for services out of their own pocket. If you need to pay out of pocket, we offer a sliding scale as part of our commitment to providing affordable care.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and HSA/FSA cards.
To learn more about EMDR therapy as part of an addiction treatment program, contact Balanced Mind of New York to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation.
