• Chronic Shame or Self-Criticism: Persistent feelings of shame, low self-worth, or a tendency to be overly critical of oneself.

• Dissociation: Feeling detached from oneself or surroundings, experiencing a sense of “numbing” or feeling that things are unreal or dreamlike.

• Emotional Dysregulation: Difficulty managing intense emotions, sudden mood swings, or emotional reactions without a clear reason.

• Somatic Symptoms: Physical symptoms—like headaches, stomachaches, muscle tension, or chronic pain—that lack a clear medical cause.

• Difficulty Trusting Others: Developing a sense of distrust or guardedness, especially within close relationships.

• Memory Gaps or Fragmented Memories: Trouble recalling certain events or memories that feel fragmented or incomplete.

• Avoidance Behaviors: Avoiding people, places, or activities that trigger uncomfortable feelings or memories.

• Negative Self-Image or Beliefs: Holding core beliefs such as “I am unlovable” or “I am not safe,” often stemming from trauma.

• Difficulty with Boundaries: Struggling to set healthy boundaries or experiencing discomfort around others’ needs or expectations.

• Hyperarousal Symptoms: Being easily startled, having racing thoughts, or feeling constantly “on edge.”

• Flashbacks or Intrusive Thoughts: Re-experiencing traumatic events as if they’re happening in the present or dealing with persistent, unwanted thoughts related to trauma.

• Compulsive or Addictive Behaviors: Turning to substances, food, or activities as coping mechanisms to manage distressing emotions.

• Anxiety and Hypervigilance: Persistent worry, racing thoughts, and a heightened state of alertness, often feeling "on edge."

• Depression or Low Mood: Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or loss of interest in once enjoyable activities.

Fortunately, EMDR therapy can help by reprocessing troubling memories and feelings, whether specific or diffuse, helping you move forward with greater ease and empowerment.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic approach for processing unresolved trauma and distressing life experiences. It focuses on reprocessing how traumatic memories are stored in the brain, relieving symptoms like anxiety, hypervigilance, and emotional reactivity.

Attachment-focused EMDR, for example, explores early attachment wounds, helping clients reprocess experiences related to self-worth, trust, and emotional security in relationships.

During an EMDR session, a therapist uses DAS to guide clients through distressing memories. This activates the brain’s natural healing abilities, helping to “reorganize” these memories into healthier frameworks, similar to how the brain processes information during REM sleep. EMDR can foster resilience and growth by building adaptive beliefs and responses to past experiences.

Understanding Trauma Processing in EMDR

While trauma isn’t physically "stored" in the nervous system, it impacts brain functioning in ways that lead to ongoing symptoms. Trauma changes how key brain areas work, including the amygdala (which regulates emotions and fear), the hippocampus (which manages memory), and the prefrontal cortex (which aids decision-making and emotional control). These changes can create a heightened state of alertness, or hypervigilance, where the mind and body remain “on guard” even long after the event.

This is why trauma is often felt in the body. Altered brain functioning triggers physiological responses, such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, and digestive changes, as the body’s survival systems stay active. Trauma can feel “stuck” physically, leading to tension, pain, and an overall sense of unease.

Healing Developmental Trauma with EMDR

For individuals with developmental trauma—chronic early-life adversity, often without a single pinpointed event—EMDR focuses on the cumulative impact of these experiences. Developmental trauma, or complex trauma, typically stems from prolonged exposure to neglect, abuse, or inconsistent caregiving. Rather than targeting isolated memories, EMDR for developmental trauma often addresses recurring emotional themes or patterns, like insecurity, fear, or feelings of worthlessness.

Research shows that developmental trauma impacts the brain differently than single-incident trauma, with pervasive effects on emotional regulation, self-identity, and relationships. In response to prolonged stress, the brain adapts, shaping survival mechanisms such as hypervigilance, emotional numbness, or even dissociation. Attachment-focused EMDR can be particularly effective here, helping clients reprocess their general emotional landscape and foster self-compassion, emotional regulation, and a stronger sense of identity. EMDR supports healing by helping clients reframe chronic feelings and beliefs associated with trauma, integrating a sense of safety, stability, and trust.

What Kind of Problems Can EMDR Treat?

EMDR addresses the trauma that often underlies various mental health challenges, helping reduce or resolve symptoms as the trauma heals. As traumatic memories are reprocessed, related issues like anxiety, depression, phobias, sleep disturbances, or panic attacks often diminish or even disappear.

Unresolved trauma can create distress in many areas of life, leaving individuals feeling reactive or overwhelmed. EMDR aims to replace negative reactions with more adaptive, positive responses, enabling individuals to face challenges with greater calm and control.

How EMDR Works

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) works by engaging your brain's natural ability to process and integrate traumatic memories, much like how it processes experiences during REM sleep. Through bilateral stimulation—using alternating eye movements, tapping, or sounds—EMDR “unsticks” distressing memories and allows them to be reprocessed in a way that feels less overwhelming.

Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn’t require recalling every detail of traumatic events, making it a more approachable option for those who may struggle with direct recollection. For many, EMDR brings relief from symptoms, promotes restful sleep, and fosters a sense of peace and resilience.

Below are three helpful videos that further explain how EMDR works.

Will I remain in control and empowered? Yes. During EMDR processing, you are present and entirely in control.

During EMDR treatment, you will remain in control, fully alert, and wide awake. This is not a form of hypnosis, and you can stop the process at any time. Throughout the session, the therapist will support and facilitate your own self-healing and intervene as little as possible. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously, and new connections and insights seem to arise quite naturally from within. As a result, most people experience EMDR as a natural and very empowering therapy.

The most notable difference between EMDR and hypnosis in therapy is that a person in an EMDR session does not ever go into a trance-like state of consciousness. 

On the other hand, hypnosis is a process by which the specially trained therapist helps the client enter a more relaxed state of mind. This allows the person to go deeper and selectively move below the analytical mind, making it easier to access unconscious memory and accept positive suggestions. 

This is a significant difference from EMDR. In EMDR, a person is continuously asked to remain highly focused on specific things (like physical tapping or other forms of bilateral stimulation) and think, reinforcing positive thoughts and re-framing negative thoughts. The EMDR therapist also helps the client remain focused and grounded by describing their sensations and emotions throughout the session.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapeutic modality that can effectively address anxiety disorders listed in the DSM (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, specific phobias). Here's an overview of how each approach works and its connection to treating DSM anxiety disorders:

EMDR and DSM Anxiety Disorders

EMDR is a structured therapy that helps individuals process and reframe traumatic memories or distressing experiences, often contributing to anxiety. It uses bilateral stimulation (e.g., eye movements or tapping) to reduce the emotional intensity of distressing memories and improve resilience.

How EMDR Works with DSM Anxiety Disorders

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD):

   • EMDR targets negative core beliefs (e.g., "I'm not safe" or "I can't handle uncertainty") that perpetuate chronic worry.

   • It processes past events that contribute to the client's hypervigilance or difficulty managing future-focused anxiety.

2. Panic Disorder:

   • EMDR addresses specific panic-inducing events or memories.

   • It desensitizes triggers (e.g., physical sensations like a racing heart) that have become associated with danger.

3. Social Anxiety Disorder:

   • EMDR focuses on past experiences of humiliation or rejection that reinforce social fear.

   • It targets future scenarios that cause anticipatory anxiety.

4. Specific Phobias:

   • EMDR resolves past experiences that created the phobia or exacerbated avoidance behaviors.

   • It works to reduce emotional and physiological reactivity to phobia-specific triggers.

Evidence for EMDR in Treating Anxiety

Research supports EMDR's efficacy in treating anxiety-related disorders. For instance:

• A 2017 meta-analysis found EMDR effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD, which often co-occurs with anxiety disorders.

• Emerging studies highlight its utility in GAD and panic disorders, particularly for clients resistant to traditional CBT approaches.