EMDR Trauma Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be a powerful support for OAR clients working toward sustained sobriety, particularly for individuals whose substance use is connected to trauma, grief, chronic stress, or adverse life experiences. Many people involved in the criminal justice system have experienced significant trauma, which can contribute to substance use as a coping mechanism. EMDR helps individuals process unresolved traumatic memories and reduce the emotional distress connected to them without requiring detailed retelling of painful experiences. 

 

As trauma symptoms decrease, clients often experience fewer triggers, reduced anxiety, improved emotional regulation, and a greater ability to manage stress without relying on drugs or alcohol. EMDR can also help reduce shame, negative self-beliefs, hypervigilance, and impulsive behaviors that commonly interfere with recovery and reentry success. 

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For OAR clients, EMDR may strengthen long-term recovery by improving mental health stability, increasing engagement in treatment and peer support services, and helping individuals build healthier coping strategies. When combined with case management, peer support, housing assistance, employment services, and recovery programming, EMDR can become part of a holistic approach that supports sustained sobriety, reduced recidivism, and overall community reintegration. 

 

Funds of $25,000 will support the purchase of five EMDR treatment slots for one year with a licensed LCSW-R psychotherapist. Each slot will serve one client at a time and remain available until the individual has progressed to a point where trauma triggers have significantly lessened and no longer produce the same traumatic response. Once a client completes treatment, the slot becomes available for another participant. Through this rotating model, OAR anticipates supporting approximately 10–20 individuals annually with intensive trauma-informed therapy designed to strengthen emotional stability, reduce relapse triggers, and support sustained sobriety and successful community reintegration.