EMDR Therapy: What It Is and How It Works

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a painful memory, like no matter how much time passes it still feels just as intense, you’re not alone. Trauma doesn’t always fade on its own, and for many people, talking about it over and over does not fully bring relief.

This is where EMDR therapy can offer something different.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy that helps people process and heal from traumatic or distressing experiences. Since it was first developed by Francine Shapiro, EMDR has become one of the most widely researched and recommended treatments for trauma, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Shapiro, 1989; Wright et al., 2024).

What Is EMDR Therapy?

At its core, EMDR helps your brain do what it is naturally designed to do, which is to process and heal.

When something overwhelming happens, your brain can struggle to fully process it. Instead of being stored as a past memory, the experience can feel like it is still happening in the present. EMDR works by helping your brain reprocess those memories, so they feel less intense, less emotional, and more like something that is truly in the past (Shapiro, 2001).

EMDR utilizes bilateral stimulation, which could be guided eye movements, tapping, or sounds. While you briefly focus on a memory, this back-and-forth stimulation helps your brain process the experience in a different way. The bilateral stimulation also offers what we call “dual attention”, which helps you confront the trauma safely. Think of it as one toe in the trauma and one toe in the present moment.

Why Trauma Can Feel So “Stuck”

Trauma does not just live in your thoughts. It lives in your body, your nervous system, and your sense of safety.

As described by Bessel van der Kolk in The Body Keeps the Score, traumatic experiences can become stored in the body, showing up as physical tension, emotional reactivity, and a constant sense of danger even when the threat is no longer there (van der Kolk, 2014).

Many people come into therapy experiencing:

• Intrusive memories that pop up unexpectedly

• Flashbacks that feel like reliving the moment

• Nightmares or disrupted sleep

• Ongoing anxiety or a constant sense of unease

• Feeling on edge or unable to relax

• Negative beliefs like “I’m not safe” or “something is wrong with me”

• Deep, ongoing grief or emotional heaviness

You might also notice a shift in how you see yourself or the world. Things that once felt safe may no longer feel that way. You may feel more guarded, more fearful, or unsure of who you are now.

While these responses might feel distressing and may be interpreted as weakness, it’s the opposite. They are your brain and body trying to protect you.

EMDR is based on the understanding that these symptoms happen when memories have not been fully processed or integrated. Trauma-focused therapies like EMDR have been shown to reduce these symptoms safely and effectively (Cusack et al., 2024).

How EMDR Therapy Works

EMDR is a structured therapy, but the experience often feels more natural than people expect.

Here’s a simple way to understand the process:

You identify a memory and a negative core belief attached to that memory

You and your therapist choose a specific experience that still feels distressing and identify how this belief is “coded” in your brain. Examples might be “I’m unlovable”, “I’m unsafe”, “It’s my fault”.

You notice what comes up

This might include thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations connected to that memory.

You engage in bilateral stimulation

While holding the memory lightly in mind, you follow a guided pattern such as eye movements or tapping.

Your brain begins to process

Over time, the memory starts to shift. For many people, it becomes less vivid, less emotional, and less overwhelming.

You build more adaptive beliefs

As the distress decreases, new perspectives often emerge that feel more grounded, compassionate, and true. These adaptive beliefs might sound like, “I’m okay as I am”, “I did the best I could”, “I can protect myself”.

This process aligns with what Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (2014) describes as helping the brain and body move out of a stuck trauma response and into a state where the experience can finally be integrated as a non-threatening, neutral memory.

What the Research Shows

EMDR has a strong and growing research base.

Recent studies continue to show that EMDR is effective in reducing PTSD symptoms and can be as effective as other trauma-focused therapies (Wright et al., 2024). Research also suggests it may help with depression and other symptoms that often come alongside trauma (Kim et al., 2024).

There is also evidence that EMDR can be helpful early after a traumatic event, supporting recovery and reducing longer-term distress (Torres-Giménez et al., 2024).

What Makes EMDR Different?

Many people come to EMDR after feeling like they have already talked through their experiences but still feel stuck.

EMDR is different because it focuses less on analyzing the past and more on helping your brain and body process it.

That often means:

• You do not have to go into every detail of what happened

• You are not forced to relive the experience over and over

• The work includes both mental and physical experiences

• Change can feel more natural, rather than forced

As The Body Keeps the Score highlights, healing from trauma often requires more than just understanding what happened. It also requires helping the body feel safe again. EMDR is one way to support that process.

Who Can Benefit from EMDR?

While EMDR is best known for treating PTSD, it can also be helpful for:

• Complicated grief

• Anxiety and chronic worry

• Depression

• Childhood trauma

• Life experiences that still feel unresolved

If something from your past still feels present, EMDR may be worth exploring.

Final Thoughts

Healing does not mean erasing what you have been through. It means changing your relationship to it.

EMDR gives your brain and body the opportunity to process what they could not at the time, so you can move forward with more clarity, stability, and a stronger sense of self.

If you have been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like part of you is still living in the past, you are not alone. And you do not have to stay there.

At Connected Therapy, we have several therapists trained in EMDR. If you’re feeling stuck and are seeking relief from unprocessed trauma, we’re here to help!

Phone:  775-622-4799

Email:  info@connectedtherapynv.com

References

Cusack, K., Jonas, D. E., Forneris, C. A., Wines, C., Sonis, J., Middleton, J. C., Feltner, C., Brownley, K. A., Olmsted, K. R., Greenblatt, A., & Weil, A. (2024). Psychological treatments for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders.

Kim, J., et al. (2024). The efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment for depression: A meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials. Brain and Behavior, 14, e00636.

Shapiro, F. (1989). Eye movement desensitization: A new treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 20(3), 211–217.

Shapiro, F. (2001). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Torres-Giménez, A., Garcia-Gibert, C., Gelabert, E., Mallorquí, A., Segu, X., Roca-Lecumberri, A., Martínez, A., Giménez, Y., & Sureda, B. (2024). Efficacy of EMDR for early intervention after a traumatic event: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 174, 73–83.

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

Wright, S. L., et al. (2024). EMDR versus other psychological therapies for PTSD: A systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 54(8), 1580–1588.