Texas Hill Country Flooding Trauma Support in Austin & Virtually Across Texas
Aligned Therapy Collective is offering three complimentary therapy sessions for those affected by the catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country.
Immediate Availability
(3) Complimentary virtual 50-minute or 90-minute sessions across Texas*
Or (3) Complimentary in-person and/or hybrid sessions in Austin, Texas*
EMDR Therapy (for Trauma, Anxiety, Grief/Loss, or PTSD)
Specialization in Individuals, Teens, & Couples
*Opportunity, if desired, to continue in therapy at private practice rate
Alyssa Autterson, LPC-Associate licensed across the state of Texas, is an EMDRIA-approved EMDR-trained clinician who specializes in working with individuals, couples, & teenagers on trauma, PTSD, anxiety, & grief/loss. Alyssa is under the supervision of Sarah Arnold, LPC-S.
Alyssa is also a former Texas Hill Country camper/counselor of 14 years, so this population group holds a special place in her heart. Read more about how her experience at camp is integral to her work as a clinician here.
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms (EMDRIA, 2025). Ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes, showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences (Maxfield, 2019). EMDR therapy has even been superior to Prozac in trauma treatment (Van der Kolk et al., 2007).
The Goal of EMDR
EMDR is an eight-pronged approach, inclusive of intake assessment, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation. The goal is to help clients reprocess traumatic memories, including recent traumatic experiences, to help reduce their emotional charge and reprocess the memory out of the maladaptive memory network and into the adaptive memory network through the process of bilateral stimulation.
What issues and challenges does EMDR address?
EMDR is primarily used to treat PTSD and other trauma-related conditions, including exposure to an event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. This can be through direct experience, witnessing the event, learning it happened to a close loved one, or repeated exposure to the details of the event (e.g., first responders).
How does EMDR therapy affect the brain?
According to EMDRIA, “our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.
Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.”
