Trauma affects more than just your memories — it impacts your emotions, your relationships, and your sense of safety. Whether you’ve experienced a single distressing event or endured years of chronic stress, trauma can leave lasting effects on your mind and body.
But healing is possible. And one powerful, evidence-based approach is EMDR therapy.
What Is Trauma?
Trauma isn’t just what happens to you — it’s how your nervous system responds when something overwhelms your ability to cope. This can include:
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Accidents, injuries, or medical procedures
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Abuse, neglect, or violence
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Sudden loss or abandonment
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Ongoing stress (like bullying, discrimination, or caregiving burnout)
You might not even realize an experience was traumatic until symptoms start to show up — anxiety, nightmares, emotional numbness, trouble trusting others, or even physical tension that never seems to go away.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, trauma-focused therapy that helps your brain reprocess painful memories. It was developed in the late 1980s and is now widely used to treat PTSD, anxiety, phobias, and more.
EMDR doesn’t require you to talk in detail about the trauma. Instead, it uses bilateral stimulation (like eye movements, tapping, or sound tones) to help your brain process stuck memories and shift how they are stored.
How EMDR Works
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You identify a distressing memory or issue that still triggers emotional or physical reactions.
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Your therapist guides you through sets of bilateral stimulation while you focus on the memory.
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Your brain does the healing — much like it does during REM sleep — moving the memory from a raw, emotional place to something you can remember without reliving.
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You replace old beliefs (“I’m powerless”) with new, adaptive ones (“I survived. I’m safe now.”)
What Can EMDR Help With?
While EMDR is best known for treating PTSD, it’s also effective for:
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Anxiety and panic attacks
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Childhood trauma
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Grief and complicated loss
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Performance anxiety
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Chronic pain
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Phobias and self-esteem issues
What to Expect in an EMDR Session
EMDR is typically an 8-phase process, but early sessions focus on building trust, teaching calming strategies, and identifying which memories to target. You stay in control at all times. Many clients report feeling lighter, more present, and less reactive even after a few sessions.
You Don’t Have to Relive It to Heal It
If you’ve been carrying trauma, you may feel like it’s part of who you are — but it’s not. With the right support, those wounds can heal. You can feel safe in your body again. You can learn to respond instead of react. You can move forward.
EMDR might be the next step in your healing journey.
Interested in EMDR Therapy?
Our trained EMDR therapists are here to support you with compassion and care. Reach out today to schedule an appointment or learn more about how EMDR could help you.
