Trauma changes the brain—but the brain can also heal. Whether you’ve experienced a single traumatic event or years of difficult experiences, EMDR therapy offers a path to recovery by working directly with how traumatic memories are stored and processed.
This guide explores how trauma affects us, why traditional approaches sometimes fall short, and how EMDR supports the brain’s natural healing capacity.
Understanding How Trauma Affects the Brain
When we experience a traumatic event, our brain’s normal information processing can become overwhelmed. Instead of being processed and stored as a regular memory, the traumatic experience gets “frozen” in its original form—complete with the emotions, physical sensations, and survival responses from that moment.
Why Traumatic Memories Feel Different
Unlike normal memories, unprocessed traumatic memories:
- Feel like they’re happening now: Flashbacks and triggers can make you feel like you’re reliving the experience
- Carry their original emotional intensity: The fear, helplessness, or horror remains as strong as when it happened
- Include vivid sensory details: Sounds, smells, physical sensations remain deeply encoded
- Create lasting negative beliefs: Conclusions like “I’m not safe” or “It was my fault” feel absolutely true
- Affect the body: Tension, hypervigilance, and physical symptoms persist long after the event
The Body Keeps the Score
Trauma isn’t just stored in our thoughts—it’s held in our bodies. Many trauma survivors experience:
- Chronic muscle tension, especially in shoulders, jaw, and stomach
- Sleep disturbances and nightmares
- Heightened startle responses
- Difficulty relaxing or feeling safe in their body
- Physical health problems linked to chronic stress
Effective trauma treatment must address both the psychological and physical aspects of trauma. This is one reason EMDR includes a body scan phase—to ensure complete processing.
How EMDR Supports Trauma Recovery
EMDR works with the brain’s natural healing capacity. Dr. Francine Shapiro developed the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model to explain how this works:
The Brain’s Natural Processing System
- Our brains have a built-in system for processing experiences and learning from them
- This system normally integrates memories, allowing us to learn from the past without being controlled by it
- Trauma can overwhelm this system, leaving memories unprocessed
- EMDR’s bilateral stimulation appears to reactivate this natural processing system
What Happens During EMDR Processing
When you process a traumatic memory in EMDR:
- The memory network activates: You focus on the traumatic memory, bringing up associated thoughts, emotions, and sensations
- Processing begins: Bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements) engages the brain’s processing capacity
- New connections form: The brain begins making new associations, often spontaneously connecting to more adaptive information
- Distress decreases: The emotional charge of the memory reduces, often dramatically
- Perspective shifts: New insights emerge naturally as the memory integrates
- The body releases: Physical tension and sensations associated with the trauma resolve
The Trauma Recovery Journey
What to Expect in Treatment
Trauma recovery through EMDR typically progresses through several stages:
Stage 1: Stabilization
Before processing trauma, your therapist ensures you have:
- Adequate coping skills for managing emotional distress
- A sense of safety in the therapeutic relationship
- Resources for grounding and self-soothing
- Understanding of what to expect in treatment
Stage 2: Processing Past Trauma
The core work of EMDR involves:
- Identifying specific traumatic memories to target
- Processing each memory until it no longer causes significant distress
- Installing positive beliefs to replace trauma-based negative beliefs
- Ensuring complete processing through body scans
Stage 3: Integration and Growth
As trauma resolves, you may experience:
- Increased sense of safety and calm
- More capacity for joy and connection
- Freedom from triggers that used to control you
- New perspectives on yourself and your experiences
- Post-traumatic growth—finding meaning and strength
Different Types of Trauma
EMDR can be effective for various types of trauma, though treatment may look different depending on your experiences:
Single-Incident Trauma
Experiences like accidents, natural disasters, or witnessing violence in adulthood often respond quickly to EMDR—sometimes in just a few sessions.
Multiple or Repeated Trauma
Combat exposure, repeated abuse, or multiple traumatic events typically require more extensive treatment to address each significant memory.
Developmental/Childhood Trauma
Early trauma, including abuse, neglect, or growing up with emotionally unavailable caregivers, often requires longer treatment that includes building resources and addressing attachment patterns.
Complex PTSD
When trauma occurs repeatedly over time, especially in childhood or in captive situations, treatment focuses on stabilization, relationship building, and careful pacing alongside memory processing.
Signs of Trauma Healing
As you progress through trauma recovery, you may notice:
- Decreased intrusion: Fewer flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts
- Reduced avoidance: Less need to avoid reminders of the trauma
- Improved mood: More capacity for positive emotions, less numbness or irritability
- Better sleep: Falling asleep more easily, fewer nightmares
- Physical relaxation: Less chronic tension, reduced startle response
- Changed relationship to memories: Ability to remember without being overwhelmed
- Updated beliefs: Shift from “I’m damaged” to “I survived something difficult”
- Increased presence: More ability to be in the present moment rather than the past
Supporting Your Recovery
What Helps Healing
- Working with a qualified therapist: Trauma processing is best done with professional support
- Pacing yourself: Healing isn’t linear—respect your process
- Self-care basics: Sleep, nutrition, movement, and social connection support processing
- Journaling: Can help integrate insights between sessions
- Self-compassion: Treating yourself with kindness throughout the journey
Using Bilateral Stimulation for Support
While trauma processing requires a therapist, bilateral stimulation exercises can support your recovery by:
- Helping regulate your nervous system between sessions
- Providing a calming tool when you feel triggered
- Supporting the calm/safe place resource your therapist teaches
- Building your capacity for self-regulation
The EMDR4LIFE app provides a convenient way to practice bilateral stimulation as a complement to your professional treatment.
Taking the First Step
If you’re living with the effects of trauma, know that healing is possible. EMDR has helped millions of people recover from experiences that once felt impossible to overcome.
The first step is reaching out:
- Find a therapist: Search the EMDRIA directory for certified EMDR practitioners
- Learn more: Read our complete EMDR guide to understand what to expect
- Start small: Try the EMDR4LIFE app for gentle introduction to bilateral stimulation
Your brain has the capacity to heal. EMDR can help unlock that healing. You don’t have to carry the weight of trauma forever.