If you’ve been exploring different types of therapy—especially for healing trauma—you may have come acrossEMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s often described as a technique that helps you “reprocess” difficult memories, especially from past trauma. EMDR isn’t just about changing your memories; it’s a somatic therapy that helps your body release stored tensions.
That’s what makes EMDR a type of somatic therapy—a therapy that works with the body, not just the mind. As a trained EMDR therapist, I have been able to see firsthand how EMDR helps people understand their trauma in a new way and then, through EMDR techniques, learn how to train their bodies to let go of the trauma locked in their mind and body.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
“Somatic” simply means “relating to the body.” Somatic therapy is based on the idea that we carry stress, anxiety, and trauma not just in our thoughts, but also in our bodies.
You might notice this as:
Muscle tension
A tight chest or upset stomach
Fluttering in your chest or trembling
Feeling constantly on edge
Chronic fatigue
Difficulty relaxing, even when things are “fine”
Somatic therapy focuses on bringing attention to these sensations so they can be understood, processed, and released—allowing your nervous system to reset and heal.
How Is EMDR a Somatic Therapy?
EMDR is widely recognized for its use of eye movements, tapping, or sounds. However, the true effectiveness of EMDR lies in its ability to work with your entire system—both mind and body. The primary goal of EMDR is to help desensitize your overly activated nervous system and reintegrate your memory network, leading to more balanced and cohesive responses.
Break Free from Trauma with EMDR
Work with expert EMDR therapists in Los Angeles and start your healing journey today—safe, effective, and personalized care.
In an EMDR session, your therapist might ask questions like: “Where do you feel that in your body?” or “What sensations are you noticing right now?” These check-ins aren’t just small talk—they’re invitations to notice how your body is reacting, which is often where trauma still lives.
2. It Uses Gentle, Rhythmic Stimulation
The back-and-forth movement in EMDR (called bilateral stimulation) doesn’t just help with memory processing—it can also calm your nervous system, similar to how rhythmic movement soothes a crying baby. Many people describe feeling more grounded, relaxed, or “unstuck” during or after EMDR.
3. It Works With How Trauma Is Stored
Trauma doesn’t just get “remembered”—it gets stored in your body. That’s why sometimes, even when you logically know you’re safe, your body might still feel panicked, frozen, or on edge. EMDR helps unlock and move through those stuck responses, so your body can finally exhale.
4. It Can Release Built-Up Physical Tension
As you process during EMDR, it’s common to experience physical shifts: a deep breath, a sudden yawn, a shiver, or tears. These are signs that your body is releasing stored energy and stress—a very good thing. It’s part of how healing happens.
Healing Isn’t Just in Your Head
If you’ve tried talk therapy before and felt like something was still missing—EMDR might be the missing piece. Because it doesn’t just help you understand your pain, it helps your body let go of it.
You don’t have to force anything. It’s gentle, structured, and honors your pace. Most importantly, it helps you heal not just in your thoughts, but in your nervous system, your body, and your sense of safety in the world.
Life can feel overwhelming at times. The constant noise, the pressure to keep up, the endless distractions. Yet beneath it you carry something heavier, too: memories that won’t let go, a tightness in your chest that creeps up uninvited, or a sense that you’re just not fully present. Many people look to EMDR for relief, a way to untangle the past and breathe a little easier. At Here Counseling, we understand how challenging it can be to find the right therapist, and we’re here to help you navigate that journey.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is more than a buzzword—it’s a powerful, somatic approach to processing trauma and experiencing peace. In this article, (1) I’ll walk you through what EMDR is, how it works, and why it’s so effective. (2) I’ll also share the practical side of finding an EMDR therapist, especially if you’re in a big city like Los Angeles, where the search can feel daunting. Most importantly, (3) I’ll show you how the real magic of EMDR happens—not just in the technique, but in the connection you build with your therapist.
Break Free from Trauma with EMDR
Work with expert EMDR therapists in Los Angeles and start your healing journey today—safe, effective, and personalized care.
EMDR therapy is an evidence-based treatment designed to help you process trauma and distressing memories. Developed by Francine Shapiro in the 1980s, it’s widely used for PTSD, anxiety, and more. You might have heard about the bilateral stimulation—guided eye movements, tapping, or tones—used while recalling tough moments. That’s part of it, but here’s the core: EMDR isn’t just about the mechanics. It’s about the safety and trust you feel with your therapist, which lets your brain and body release what’s been stuck.
Think of it like this: trauma can trap pieces of your past in a loop, replaying in your mind or showing up as tension you can’t explain. EMDR, paired with the right therapeutic relationship, helps unlock those pieces so they can settle into a quieter place.
How Does EMDR Therapy Work?
EMDR follows an eight-phase process that’s carefully structured to keep you grounded every step of the way:
History-Taking: We start by getting to know you—your story, your struggles, and what you want to work on.
Preparation: Your therapist helps you feel safe with tools like breathing exercises, building a foundation of trust.
Assessment: You identify the memories or beliefs that hurt—and the ones you’d like to feel instead.
Desensitization: This is where bilateral stimulation comes in, guided by your therapist, to help your brain reprocess the memory.
Installation: We reinforce positive beliefs, like “I am enough,” to take root.
Body Scan: You check in with yourself—any lingering tension?—to ensure it feels resolved.
Closure: Every session ends with calm, so you leave feeling steady.
Reevaluation: We check in later to see how you’re doing and adjust the plan if needed.
The bilateral stimulation often gets the spotlight, but the real shift happens through attunement. Dr. Daniel Siegel, a leader in developmental neurobiology, talks about co-regulation—how two people’s nervous systems sync up to create calm. In EMDR, that connection with your therapist allows your brain to rewire those old, painful pathways.
The Science Behind EMDR: It’s All About Connection
You might ask, “Do the eye movements really do all that?” They help, but the deeper healing comes from something more fundamental. Our early relationships shape the structure and function of our brains and bodies. When early relationships are unsafe, our minds respond by shutting down the emotional processes it needs to recover from harm. EMDR, done with a therapist who’s truly present, repairs that by creating a new experience of safety, which reactivates the structures the mind needs to recover from harm.
Daniel Siegel’s research supports this: when you are “attuned” to another person, your nervous system relaxes enough to process what’s been stuck. It’s like the “bilateral” movement isn’t just in your eyes or hands—it’s in you and your therapist’s brain’s activity, shifting how trauma can be experienced. That’s why the therapeutic relationship in EMDR is so vital.
“It’s all about the eye movements.” Not quite. They’re a tool, but the safety with your therapist drives the change.
“It’s only for big trauma.” False. EMDR works for everything from PTSD to everyday stress or self-doubt.
“Healing with EMDR is instant, or can be fixed in 1-2 sessions” It’s not a quick fix. Healing unfolds over time, guided by your needs.
Finding EMDR Therapy in Los Angeles: What You Need to Know
If you’re in a big city like Los Angeles, finding the right EMDR therapist can feel like a challenge all its own. Here’s why—and how Here Counseling makes it easier.
Why it’s Hard to Find EMDR Therapists in Los Angeles
So Many Providers: LA is home to countless therapists, which sounds great until you’re overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. Sifting through them to find someone trained in EMDR can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Location Matters: In a sprawling city like LA, getting to therapy can be a trek. A convenient location can make or break your ability to commit to regular sessions.
In-Person Office Space: Many therapists offer only virtual sessions these days, but EMDR often shines brightest in person. Finding someone with a dedicated office space isn’t as common as you’d think.
Parking Woes: Parking in LA can be a nightmare. Circling the block before a session isn’t exactly the calm start you want for healing.
Here Counseling is a Great Place to Start EMDR Therapy
At Here Counseling, we’ve built our practice to tackle these hurdles head-on:
Convenient Downtown Location: Our office is in the historic Biltmore Court Offices in downtown LA, putting us right in the heart of the city. It’s easy to reach, no matter where you’re coming from. We also have an office space in Pasadena if you’re closer to San Gabriel Valley.
In-Person Office Space: We believe in the power of face-to-face connection. Our welcoming, private office provides a safe space to fully engage in the EMDR process.
Accessible Parking: We’ve made sure there are nearby parking options, so you can arrive at your session relaxed, not frazzled from a parking hunt.
Expert EMDR Therapists: Our team is trained in the latest EMDR techniques and committed to creating a trusting, attuned relationship with you.
In a city as vast as Los Angeles, finding the right therapist shouldn’t add to your stress. We’re here to simplify the process, so you can focus on your healing.
Real-Life Benefits of EMDR Therapy
Imagine this:
Moving through your day without that familiar dread.
Feeling lighter in your own skin, free from “what ifs.”
Connecting with others without old pain creeping in.
These aren’t just hopes—clients tell us this is what EMDR can unlock. It’s not about erasing the past; it’s about making it something you can live with, not fight against.
Is EMDR Therapy Right for You?
Ask yourself:
Do you feel trapped by worry, sadness, or memories?
Does something from your past still pull you back?
Are you ready to feel supported as you heal?
If that rings true, EMDR could be your next step. We offer a free consultation to explore it together—no pressure, just clarity.
Find EMDR Support That Works
Discover how EMDR therapy can help you heal deep emotional wounds. Book a consultation with a certified therapist near you.
You don’t have to carry this alone. EMDR therapy can help you process what’s been holding you back and step into a freer version of yourself. At Here Counseling, we’re here to walk with you.
What is EMDR therapy? EMDR is a trauma therapy that uses a structured process, including bilateral stimulation, to help you process painful memories with a therapist’s support.
How does EMDR therapy work? It works by creating safety with your therapist, using bilateral stimulation to reprocess trauma and calm your nervous system.
What are the benefits of EMDR? EMDR can reduce anxiety, lighten emotional burdens, and help you feel more present and connected.
Who can benefit from EMDR therapy? Anyone with trauma, stress, or lingering emotional pain—big or small—can find relief with EMDR.
How do I find an EMDR therapist in Los Angeles? Look for a therapist with a convenient location, in-person office space, and accessible parking. Here Counseling offers all this in downtown LA at the Biltmore Court Offices, and in Pasadena.
Trauma can leave a lasting mark on your life—maybe you’re on edge all the time, or it’s hard to feel like yourself. You’re not alone, and it’s not your fault. Trauma changes how your brain works, but here’s the good news: your brain can heal. This blog is for anyone thinking about starting trauma therapy. We’ll answer common questions you might have about what trauma does to your brain, why it feels so overwhelming, and how therapy can help you take back control.
Questions about how trauma impacts your brain:
Why do I have trouble with emotions and memories after trauma?
Why does my trauma feel different from others’ experiences?
Do my genetics affect how trauma impacts me?
How does trauma impact my brain chemistry?
Can my brain really heal from trauma?
How can therapy help my brain process trauma?
How does trauma affect my focus, relationships, or health?
Trauma Reshapes the Brain—But So Can Healing
Explore how your brain is wired for recovery and how therapy can help you reclaim peace and balance.
Q1: Why do I have trouble with emotions and memories after trauma?
Our brains are shaped by our experiences, especially emotional and social ones. The prefrontal cortex, a key part of your brain, helps you feel safe and navigate relationships. It prioritizes learning how relationships work and what can go wrong. When you’ve experienced significant emotional or relational trauma, your brain shows some general changes. You might notice reduced activity in the prefrontal areas, which help with reasoning and emotional control, and hyper-arousal in limbic areas, like the amygdala, which signal danger.
This hyper-arousal means your brain is constantly anticipating a catastrophe, much like someone with a past back injury who stays tense to protect themselves. You might feel hyper-vigilant, always watching for the next “attack.” This makes it hard to regulate emotions, which involves both sides of your frontal lobe—areas responsible for narration, language, reason, morality, comfort, and inhibition. These areas need a lot of energy, and when you’re in a fight-or-flight state, it’s tough to access them without help from caring people.
Memory is affected too. Forming memories often requires your frontal lobe to focus attention, but trauma can make this difficult. Your hippocampus, which helps store memories, shows reduced activity, and old fear patterns take over. Here’s what this might look like:
What You Might Feel
What’s Happening in Your Brain
Brain Area Involved
Constantly on edge or jumpy
Your brain’s alarm system is overly active
Amygdala
Struggling to control emotions
The “calm down” part is overwhelmed
Prefrontal Cortex
Memory gaps or feeling disconnected
Stress disrupts your memory storage
Hippocampus
These changes vary depending on the trauma and your support system, both then and now.
What this looks like day-to-day
If you feel panicked in crowded places, it might be your amygdala overreacting, like a car alarm going off at a leaf falling.
Trauma reduces activity in your prefrontal cortex, making emotional control harder.
Hyper-active limbic areas keep you on edge, anticipating danger.
Memory formation suffers due to stress on the hippocampus.
Support from others can help your brain recover.
Q2: Why does my trauma feel different from others’ experiences?
There’s a big difference between one-time trauma and ongoing trauma in how your brain learns to develop, manage information, and respond. A single event, like a car accident or a betrayal, creates specific issues that don’t usually spread to every part of your life. For example, if you had a secure childhood with supportive mentors but experienced a car crash, you might get anxious about driving but not feel generally unsafe.
Chronic trauma, like ongoing childhood maltreatment, tends to generalize, affecting how your brain organizes and responds to all information. Daniel Stern, a developmental psychologist, called these “Representations of Interactions that have been Generalized” (RIGs). The earlier and more pervasive the trauma, the more it shapes your mental activity. For instance, if you faced abandonment before age two, it’s more likely to develop into a personality disorder. Later one-time events might lead to something like depression or specific fears instead.
One-time trauma creates specific triggers, like fear of driving after an accident.
Chronic trauma affects how your brain handles all information.
Early trauma, especially before age two, can lead to deeper issues like personality disorders.
Your unique experience shapes how trauma affects you.
Q3: Do my genetics affect how trauma impacts me?
Genetics are complex, and we’re just starting to understand them. Years ago, we thought genes directly controlled how our brains and bodies respond, but it’s more nuanced. Your lived experiences can influence how your genes are expressed and even affect what you pass on to your kids through epigenetics. Roughly, about 50% of how you respond to trauma is genetic, and 50% is your life experiences. But we might be overestimating the role of genetics—your environment, like the support you have, matters a lot.
For example, if you have a supportive friend or family member, it can make trauma feel less overwhelming. Without that, your brain might struggle more to process the stress.
For example, if you grew up with a loving caregiver, your brain might lean on that strength to cope with a later trauma, like a job loss, compared to someone without that support.
Quick tips on genetics and trauma
Genetics influence about half of how trauma affects you, but experiences are just as important.
Supportive relationships can lessen trauma’s impact.
Your unique background shapes your brain’s response.
Q4: How does trauma impact my brain chemistry?
Your brain’s chemical systems, like the HPA axis and neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine), play a big role in how trauma affects you. Serotonin, which we can think of as your “social belonging” system, helps you feel safe and resilient. When it’s low, you might feel disconnected or lonely. Dopamine is about agency and motivation—when it’s off, you might struggle to focus on goals or feel hopeful. Norepinephrine fuels your energy to respond to situations, but chronic stress can exhaust this system, leading to what’s sometimes called adrenal fatigue, where you feel drained and overwhelmed.
For example, in a fight-or-flight state, your HPA axis might be overworked, leaving you feeling wired but tired. Therapy can help by restoring safety, which lets these systems recover.
Feeling tired or disconnected isn’t just “in your head”—it’s your brain’s chemistry reacting to stress, and therapy can help balance it.
Quick tips on trauma and brain chemistry
Low serotonin can make you feel disconnected from others.
Low dopamine reduces motivation and focus.
Overworked norepinephrine and HPA axis lead to adrenal fatigue.
Safety through therapy helps these systems recover.
Q5: Can my brain really heal from trauma?
Yes, your brain can heal through neuroplasticity, its ability to adapt and reorganize. When you’re younger, your brain is more flexible, quickly adapting to your environment. But even as an adult, this capacity fluctuates. When you feel fearful and alone, your brain becomes less open to new information—it’s like it’s locked in survival mode. But when you feel safe and secure, your brain can afford the energy to reorganize and heal. Social relationships, like those with a therapist or loved ones, are key to making this happen.
For example, imagine your brain like a garden path—trauma might have worn it down, but therapy is like planting new seeds with someone guiding you.
Quick tips on healing from trauma and neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity lets your brain adapt and heal.
Feeling safe with others makes your brain more flexible.
Therapy creates the conditions for healing.
Q6: How can therapy help my brain process trauma?
Therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) help your brain heal. EMDR promotes safety through its structured approach, oscillating between facing painful memories and returning to a calm state. This helps your brain process trauma through bilateral stimulation, though some studies suggest the real benefit comes from the therapist’s ability to co-regulate with you—helping you feel safe enough to process overwhelming emotions. The therapist’s presence is like borrowing their calm to handle what feels too big alone.
EMDR helps by alternating between pain and safety, with the therapist’s support.
The therapeutic relationship is key to processing overwhelming emotions.
Safety helps you heal
Q7: How does trauma impact my brain’s structure?
Beyond the well-known brain areas, trauma affects other regions like the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is shaped by secure mentorship and parenting. The ACC helps you lean into challenges, knowing you can bounce back. When trauma leaves you feeling alone, this area can become deficient, making you feel like all pain must be avoided or that there’s no way out. This can show up as trouble focusing (like in ADHD), difficulty trusting others, or even physical symptoms like chronic fatigue from stress.
For example, you might avoid social events because they feel overwhelming, or you might get sick more often because stress weakens your body. Therapy can help by rebuilding these brain areas, improving your focus, connections, and health.
For example, if you struggle to finish tasks because your mind feels scattered, it might be your ACC reacting to past trauma—but therapy can help you regain clarity.
Quick tips on trauma and brain structures
Trauma affects the ACC, making it hard to focus or face challenges.
This can lead to struggles with relationships or physical health.
Therapy helps rebuild these brain areas for better functioning.
Take the First Step with Trauma Therapy
Trauma may have changed your brain, but it doesn’t define you. With therapy, you can feel calmer, more connected, and in control again. If you’re thinking about starting trauma therapy, you’re already taking a brave step. Reach out to us (#) to learn how we can support your healing journey. You don’t have to do this alone—your brain is ready to heal, and we’re here to help.
Trauma hurts. You know the ache of wanting to escape the pain, to silence the memories, or to build walls around the parts of your life that feel too overwhelming to face. It’s only natural to wish for a way to heal without having to relive the hurt—to somehow remove the trauma without ever looking at it again. But here’s the hard truth: healing from trauma requires confronting the pain. It’s not about avoiding or suppressing it; it’s about facing it head-on in a safe, supported way. This process, known as exposure, is the key to reclaiming your life from trauma’s grip.
In this article, we’ll explore why exposure is essential in trauma therapy, backed by the latest research and real-world examples. We’ll also look at why avoidance—though understandable—keeps trauma alive and how therapy can guide you through the process of healing.
“But why should I have to feel worse to feel better?”
When trauma strikes, the instinct to protect yourself is powerful. You might find yourself doing everything possible to avoid the pain—setting rigid boundaries around “toxic” triggers, numbing with substances or distractions, or even approaching therapy with the hope of silencing the hurt without ever truly facing it. These are common defenses, and they make sense. After all, who wouldn’t want to bypass the agony of reliving a traumatic experience? We wish we could “lobotomize” the trauma, excise it like a tumor, or create an impenetrable fortress around it so it never touches us again.
But avoidance, while offering temporary relief, keeps the trauma alive, festering beneath the surface. Let’s dive into some of the most common ways people try to sidestep their pain—and why these strategies, though well-intentioned, often backfire.
Face Trauma with Support—Not Fear
Exposure therapy helps you gently confront what you’ve been avoiding, in a safe and supportive space. Begin healing with an experienced therapist in Los Angeles or Pasadena.
Boundaries are essential for healthy relationships, but when used to avoid trauma, they can become rigid barriers that limit your life more than they protect it. For example, someone who experienced abuse in a childhood home might refuse to visit their hometown, even if it means missing family gatherings or reconnecting with loved ones.
This avoidance extends beyond physical spaces—someone who survived a workplace assault might quit their job or avoid professional networking events, labeling them “unsafe.” While setting boundaries can feel empowering, overusing them to dodge trauma-related triggers shrinks your world, and doesn’t provide the intended relief. Instead of reclaiming agency, you hand control to the trauma, letting it dictate where you go and what you do, often leading to isolation or missed opportunities.
2. Addiction and Suppression
When trauma’s pain feels unbearable, many turn to substances or behaviors to numb it. Alcohol, drugs, overeating, or compulsive habits like gaming or social media scrolling can become ways to suppress emotions tied to trauma. For instance, a person haunted by memories of a car accident might drink heavily each evening to avoid intrusive thoughts, only to face heightened anxiety when sober. Another might throw themselves into work, filling every hour with tasks to escape the grief of a loss.
These habits offer a temporary escape, but they don’t resolve the trauma—they delay it. Over time, suppression can spiral into addiction, adding new layers of struggle that complicate healing and reinforce the trauma’s hold.
3. Denial
Denial is a defense mechanism where you refuse to acknowledge the trauma or its impact. Someone who endured childhood neglect might say, “My parents were busy—it didn’t affect me,” despite struggling with chronic distrust or low self-worth. A survivor of a natural disaster might insist, “I’m fine; I got through it,” while battling unexplained panic attacks. Denial feels like a way to stay strong, but it’s a fragile shield.
By burying the trauma, you allow it to manifest indirectly—through irritability, difficulty connecting with others, or even physical symptoms like insomnia. This avoidance prevents you from processing the experience, keeping the pain alive beneath a veneer of “everything’s okay.”
4. Intellectualization
Intellectualization involves focusing on the logical or factual aspects of trauma to avoid its emotional weight. A person who survived a violent incident might research crime statistics obsessively, noting, “The odds of it happening again are low,” without ever addressing the fear that lingers. Another might describe their trauma in detached terms, like a case study—“It was an event that disrupted my routine”—to sidestep the grief or anger it evokes.
This mental distance can feel like control, but it’s a form of avoidance. By staying in the realm of analysis, you bypass the emotional processing needed for healing, leaving the trauma’s deeper impact untouched.
5. Approaching Therapy as a Silencer
Even therapy can become a tool for avoidance if approached with the wrong expectations. Some people enter treatment hoping for a quick fix—a technique or medication to erase the pain without engaging with it. For example, a client might focus solely on symptom relief, like stopping nightmares, without exploring the memories behind them. Others might seek therapy to “move on” without confronting the trauma, expecting the therapist to magically remove it.
This mindset treats therapy as a way to silence distress rather than a space to process it. While symptom management is important, true healing requires facing the pain, not bypassing it, which can be a challenging but necessary shift in perspective.
These avoidance tactics are survival strategies, born from a need to feel safe. But they’re short-term fixes that prolong trauma’s power, keeping you stuck in a cycle of fear, numbness, or disconnection.
Research Supports it: Exposure is Essential for Healing
Healing from trauma isn’t about forgetting or suppressing—it’s about integrating the experience so it no longer controls you. Exposure therapy, a cornerstone of trauma treatment, involves gradually and safely confronting the memories, emotions, or situations that trigger distress. It’s not about reliving the trauma recklessly; it’s about processing it in a controlled, therapeutic setting with support. Research underscores why this approach is critical for lasting recovery.
What the Science Says
A 2024 study in JAMA Psychiatry examined virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for military veterans with PTSD. Participants engaged with simulated trauma-related scenarios, like combat zones, in a safe environment. The study found a significant reduction in symptoms—over 50%—with benefits persisting a month after treatment (JAMA Psychiatry Article). This shows that controlled exposure can desensitize the brain’s fear response, making traumatic memories less overwhelming.
Similarly, a 2024 Heliyon review of trauma treatment models emphasized that exposure is the backbone of effective therapy. The authors argued that avoiding exposure oversimplifies trauma’s emotional complexity, citing examples like a refugee whose panic attacks lessened after guided exposure to memories of displacement (Heliyon Review).
All therapy is exposure therapy
Essentially, all therapy is exposure therapy to some degree. The healing power of any therapeutic approach lies in its ability to create a safe space where you can revisit the experiences that frighten you most. Whether it’s talking through a memory in talk therapy, processing emotions in EMDR, or reflecting on past pain in psychodynamic work, therapy invites you to face what you’ve avoided.
This controlled re-engagement helps you reclaim power over your story, transforming fear into understanding. By approaching pain with support, therapy ensures you’re not overwhelmed, making exposure the universal thread that weaves healing across all modalities.
Exposure is how we learn resilience and maturity
Exposure isn’t just a therapy tool—it’s how we learn resilience. Take a child afraid of the dark: they might start with every light on, terrified of shadows. A parent introduces a nightlight, then dims it over weeks, exposing the child to increasing darkness. Eventually, the child sleeps comfortably without fear. This gradual process mirrors trauma therapy, where small, supported steps build strength to face what once felt impossible.
How Exposure Rewires the Brain
When you avoid trauma triggers, your brain interprets them as ongoing threats, keeping your nervous system in survival mode. Exposure therapy disrupts this cycle. By facing the trauma in manageable doses—through talking, imagining, or controlled scenarios—you teach your brain that the danger is past. This reduces the intensity of fear responses and helps integrate fragmented memories, allowing you to move forward with less emotional weight.
Why Avoidance Keeps Trauma Alive
Avoidance might feel like protection, but it’s a trap. Sidestepping trauma-related thoughts or feelings signals to your brain that they’re still dangerous, reinforcing a cycle of distress. Over time, this can lead to:
Increased Anxiety: Avoiding places tied to trauma, like a crowded mall after an assault, can make even the idea of going there trigger panic.
Emotional Numbness: Suppressing grief might dull joy, leaving you disconnected from loved ones.
Physical Symptoms: Unprocessed trauma can manifest as tension headaches or fatigue, lingering until the pain is faced.
Exposure, by contrast, rewires this response. It’s like teaching a child to swim by starting in shallow water—they learn the water isn’t a threat. In therapy, you learn the trauma isn’t your present, freeing you from its grip.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why is exposure important in trauma therapy?
Exposure helps process traumatic memories, reducing their emotional hold. Avoiding them strengthens trauma’s grip, while facing it safely with a therapist rewires fear responses, fostering lasting healing.
What are the benefits of exposure in trauma therapy?
Reduces Fear: Lowers anxiety tied to triggers.
Integrates Memories: Makes fragmented experiences feel whole.
Boosts Resilience: Builds confidence in handling distress.
It’s a gradual process—talking about the trauma, imagining it, or using guided techniques—at a pace you can handle, always supported by a professional to ensure safety.
The Path to Healing: Facing Pain with Support
Confronting trauma is tough, but it’s the road to freedom. Therapy—whether talk-based or EMDR—offers a safe space to face your pain without being overwhelmed. You don’t have to do it alone. With support, you can transform that raw wound into a source of strength, rewriting your story with hope.
Trauma has a way of embedding itself not just in our own lives but also in the stories and legacies passed down through generations. The idea of confronting this pain can feel overwhelming—our instinct is to avoid the discomfort, to stay within the safety of what we know. Yet, avoiding trauma doesn’t make it disappear; it allows it to linger, affecting us and those who come after us. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) offers a structured, safe way to face these buried wounds with the support of a therapist, providing a path to personal healing and the chance to break the cycle of generational trauma.
In this article, we’ll explore why confronting trauma is so challenging, how EMDR helps us overcome that challenge, and the profound benefits it offers—not just for ourselves but for our larger family stories.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a therapy initially developed by Francine Shapiro in the 1980s. Shapiro stumbled upon its foundations by accident: while walking and feeling distressed, she noticed her eyes moving left to right and felt a sudden relief. This observation sparked decades of research, transforming EMDR into an evidence-based treatment, particularly effective for PTSD, but also valuable for anxiety, depression, and even sports performance.
Break the Cycle of Generational Trauma
EMDR therapy helps you process inherited pain and create a new path forward. Start healing with a skilled EMDR therapist in Los Angeles or Pasadena today.
The EMDR Process: A Structured Path to Healing Trauma
EMDR is more than just eye movements—it’s a comprehensive therapy built on trust, preparation, and a clear protocol to process trauma safely.
Building Safety and Skills
The journey begins with one to three sessions focused on establishing a relationship with the therapist and equipping the client with coping tools. Dana Carretta-Stein, a licensed therapist and EMDR specialist, emphasizes this preparation: “My job is to make you uncomfortable because if we don’t feel something, we can’t heal it.” These initial steps ensure clients feel secure and ready to face their pain.
Processing with Bilateral Stimulation
The core of EMDR involves bilateral stimulation—such as following a light bar with the eyes, hearing alternating sounds, or feeling vibrations in the hands—while recalling traumatic memories. This dual attention helps the brain reprocess the experience, reducing its emotional charge. Clients might notice a rise in discomfort followed by a release, often marked by a sigh or a shift in posture, signaling healing in action.
“But I don’t want to deal with my trauma”
The Instinct to Avoid Discomfort
Confronting trauma is hard because it hurts. “A comfort zone is a beautiful thing, but nothing ever grows there,” Carretta-Stein notes. Our natural response is to push away pain, fearing it will overwhelm us. Many start therapy with hope but hesitate when subconscious barriers emerge, worried that facing the trauma will make things worse before they get better.
Yet Avoidance has a Hidden Cost
Avoidance offers temporary relief, but it perpetuates the problem. Unresolved trauma can manifest as anxiety, depression, or physical symptoms, and it doesn’t stop with us—it can ripple through generations. EMDR addresses this by providing a structured environment where discomfort is expected and managed, allowing clients to move through it rather than around it.
What is Generational Trauma?
The Legacy of Pain Passed Down
Generational trauma is the idea that trauma’s effects—emotional, behavioral, or even genetic—can be transmitted across family lines. Research suggests that experiences can alter gene expression, meaning the pain of a grandparent might echo in their descendants. Carretta-Stein shares a personal example: during her pregnancy, she experienced a visceral panic, later tracing it to a family history of grief and loss that spanned generations.
EMDR can be a Tool for Healing Generational Trauma
Facing Inherited Pain with Support
EMDR excels at addressing generational trauma by allowing individuals to process not just their own experiences but the emotional baggage handed down to them. With a therapist’s guidance, clients can confront these memories in a safe space, using bilateral stimulation to reprocess and release the pain. “When you work through stuff, you don’t just heal yourself, you heal past generations and future ones,” Carretta-Stein explains.
The Benefits of EMDR Therapy
Personal Relief and Resilience
EMDR brings tangible relief: reduced symptoms, deeper insights, and a sense of letting go. Clients often feel lighter, as if a burden has lifted. “People start to heal the moment they feel heard,” Carretta-Stein says, highlighting the power of being seen and understood in therapy.
Healing Trauma is a Gift to Family and Beyond
The impact extends beyond the individual. By confronting and overcoming trauma, we prevent it from being passed on, fostering healthier relationships and communities. This dual benefit—personal healing and a transformed legacy—makes EMDR a powerful tool for those willing to face the discomfort.
Confronting trauma, especially one woven into your family’s history, takes courage. The discomfort is real, but so is the potential for transformation. EMDR provides a structured, relational approach to make this possible, ensuring you’re not alone on the journey. If you’re ready to explore this path, consider reaching out to a trained therapist. For more insight, Carretta-Stein’s EMDR Therapy Progress Journal, available on Amazon or DanaCorretta.com, offers a helpful starting point.
Trauma isolates us, but healing reconnects us—to ourselves, our past, and our future. With EMDR, you can turn pain into possibility, for you and the generations that follow.
Trauma is a deeply distressing experience that can leave lasting scars on the mind and body. It’s like a storm that upends your world, leaving you to pick up the pieces. For many, the aftermath of trauma is a daily battle, filled with emotional turbulence, physical exhaustion, and a sense of disconnection from the life they once knew. If you’ve ever wondered, what is trauma and how is it different from PTSD?, you’re not alone. Understanding the distinction is key to recognizing when to seek help and how to begin the healing process.
In this article, we’ll explore the nature of trauma, its most common symptoms, and how it impacts daily life. We’ll use an analogy of a dam overflowing with water to explain how trauma occurs and why some people develop PTSD while others do not. We’ll also delve into the research-backed differences between those who engage in trauma therapy and those who do not, highlighting the importance of social support in recovery. For those seeking trauma therapy in Pasadena or elsewhere, this guide will provide valuable insights into the healing journey.
What is trauma?
What are the common symptoms of trauma?
How trauma is like a dam
The impact of trauma therapy
Trauma therapy options
What Does Trauma Feel Like? Common Symptoms and Their Impact
Trauma can manifest in a variety of ways, often leaving survivors feeling like they’re navigating a minefield of emotional and physical triggers. The symptoms can be overwhelming, but understanding them is the first step toward reclaiming control. Here are some of the most common symptoms of trauma and how they impact a person’s life:
1. Flashbacks
These are vivid, involuntary memories of the traumatic event. A flashback can feel like you’re reliving the moment, causing intense fear or panic. For example, a veteran might hear a car backfire and suddenly feel as though they’re back on the battlefield. This can disrupt daily routines, making it hard to focus on work or enjoy time with loved ones.
Trauma Is Personal—So Is Your Healing
Everyone responds to trauma differently. Get the support you need to heal in a way that works for you. Compassionate trauma therapy is available in Los Angeles and Pasadena.
Trauma often invades sleep, leading to recurring nightmares that disrupt rest and heighten anxiety. This can result in chronic fatigue and a sense of dread around bedtime, leaving survivors exhausted and less equipped to handle daily challenges.
3. Anxiety and Hypervigilance
Survivors may feel constantly on edge, scanning their environment for potential threats. This state of hyperarousal can make it difficult to relax, concentrate, or engage in everyday activities like socializing or driving, turning ordinary moments into sources of stress.
4. Depression
Trauma can lead to feelings of hopelessness, guilt, or numbness. Survivors might withdraw from social interactions, lose interest in hobbies, or struggle with a pervasive sense of sadness, which can strain relationships and diminish their quality of life.
5. Avoidance
Many trauma survivors avoid places, people, or situations that remind them of the event. While this can provide temporary relief, it often limits their ability to live fully—perhaps avoiding a favorite park or skipping family gatherings—leading to isolation and missed opportunities.
6. Physical Symptoms
Trauma doesn’t just affect the mind—it can also cause headaches, muscle tension, gastrointestinal issues, and a weakened immune system. These physical manifestations can make it harder to stay healthy or perform at work, adding another layer of struggle. This is because emotions like chronic anxiety are directly tied to our bodily state. When we hold that state (such as high muscle tension associated with anxiety) it changes the long-term structure of our bodies.
Each of these symptoms can make daily life feel like an uphill battle. Simple tasks, like going to work or socializing, may become daunting. Relationships can suffer as survivors struggle to connect with others while managing their internal turmoil. Over time, the weight of these symptoms can feel unbearable. Many people who have experienced any of these symptoms rightly wonder why their bodies respond this way and if it will ever change.
The Overflowing Dam: Defining Trauma
Why do some people experience trauma and not others, even following the same painful experience? To better understand how trauma happens, imagine a dam holding back a reservoir of water. The dam represents your coping mechanisms, social support, and emotional security—everything that helps you manage stress and return to a state of safety. The water symbolizes the stressors in your life, whether they’re everyday challenges or major life events.
Under normal circumstances, the dam holds strong. The water (stress) flows in, but your coping strategies and support systems contain it, preventing it from overwhelming you. However, when a stressor is too intense or prolonged—such as a traumatic event—the water surges, and the dam can no longer hold it back. The water spills over, flooding the surrounding area. This overflow is what we call trauma.
This concept is called allostatic load, which refers to the cumulative wear and tear on the body and mind when stress exceeds our ability to cope.
Then why do some have a trauma response and others don’t?
When the load becomes too great, our systems are overwhelmed, leading to trauma. Trauma, then, is not just about the event itself but about how it overwhelms our capacity to process and integrate the experience. It’s the point at which our emotional and psychological defenses are breached, leaving us feeling helpless, vulnerable, and unsafe.
In this way, trauma has to do with both the amount of “water” and the capacity of the “dam”. When a person has adequate coping skills, social supports, and emotional security (a large dam), they may recover well even from a highly stressful situation (heavy rainfall). When a person is unsupported, however, even the smallest amount of rain will be overwhelming. How a person experiences a traumatic event has to do with both the strength of internal resources and the strength of the stressor.
Trauma vs. PTSD: Key Differences
While trauma refers to the overwhelming experience and its immediate aftermath, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a specific mental health condition that can develop in some individuals after trauma. Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD, but for those who do, the symptoms are more persistent and debilitating.
PTSD is characterized by four main clusters of symptoms:
Intrusive memories: Flashbacks, nightmares, or distressing thoughts about the trauma that invade daily life.
Avoidance: Steering clear of reminders of the trauma, such as specific locations or conversations, which can shrink a person’s world.
Negative changes in mood and thinking: Feelings of hopelessness, detachment, or distorted beliefs about oneself or others that darken one’s outlook.
Hyperarousal: Being easily startled, feeling tense, or having difficulty sleeping, keeping the body and mind in a constant state of alert.
Using our dam analogy, if trauma is the moment the dam overflows, PTSD is like the floodwaters that never fully recede. The emotional and psychological impact lingers, and the person remains in a state of heightened distress, unable to return to their pre-trauma baseline. PTSD is a clinical diagnosis, requiring a specific set of symptoms lasting for more than a month, whereas trauma encompasses the broader initial response to an overwhelming event, whether or not it leads to PTSD.
Social Support Makes the Difference in Post-Trauma Recovery
Research consistently shows that social support plays a critical role in whether someone develops PTSD after trauma and how well they recover. Strong social networks can act as a buffer, helping individuals process their experiences and regain a sense of safety. Think of social support as reinforcements for the dam—friends, family, and community members who help shore up your emotional defenses.
Studies have found that:
Individuals with high levels of social support are less likely to develop PTSD and tend to recover more quickly. For example, a study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress showed that survivors of natural disasters with strong community ties had lower PTSD rates.
Conversely, a lack of support can worsen symptoms and prolong recovery, leaving survivors feeling isolated and more vulnerable to the lingering effects of trauma.
This highlights the importance of leaning on trusted loved ones during the healing process. Social support provides emotional validation, practical help, and a sense of belonging—all essential for rebuilding after the dam has been breached.
Trauma Therapy: Research-Backed Benefits
While social support is vital, many trauma survivors benefit from professional intervention, particularly trauma therapy. Evidence-based treatments like Somatic therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) have been shown to help survivors process their experiences, reduce symptoms, and regain control over their lives.
Research highlights clear differences between those who participate in trauma therapy and those who do not:
Symptom Reduction: Therapy participants often see a significant decrease in PTSD symptoms, such as flashbacks and anxiety, allowing them to reclaim parts of their lives lost to trauma.
Improved Coping Skills: Therapy provides tools to manage triggers and rebuild emotional resilience, empowering survivors to face challenges with greater confidence.
Enhanced Quality of Life: Those who engage in therapy report better relationships, improved work performance, and a greater sense of well-being compared to those who don’t seek help.
A meta-analysis in Clinical Psychology Review found that trauma-focused therapies like Somatic Therapy and EMDR are highly effective. Many participants no longer meeting PTSD criteria after treatment. For those in Pasadena or nearby, seeking trauma therapy in Pasadena can be a crucial step toward healing.
Option 1: Somatic Therapy for Trauma: Healing Through the Body
What is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy is built on the principle that trauma doesn’t just affect the mind—it also gets stored in the body. This approach recognizes the deep connection between physical sensations and emotional experiences, suggesting that unresolved trauma can manifest as tension, pain, or other bodily symptoms. By focusing on these physical cues, somatic therapy aims to help individuals process and release trapped traumatic energy, fostering a sense of safety and wholeness.
Research-Backed Benefits of Somatic Therapy
Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of somatic therapy for trauma recovery. For instance, research by Levine (2010) on somatic experiencing therapy found it significantly reduced PTSD symptoms in participants. A meta-analysis by van der Kolk et al. (2014) showed that body-oriented therapies can alleviate trauma-related distress, particularly for those who find traditional talk therapy challenging. These findings highlight somatic therapy’s ability to address both the emotional and physical aftermath of trauma.
What to Expect in Somatic Sessions
In a somatic therapy session, you’ll work with a trained therapist to tune into your body’s signals. You might start with a body scan, where you focus on different areas of your body to notice sensations like tightness or discomfort. The therapist may guide you through gentle movements or breathing exercises to release stored tension. Mindfulness practices are also common, helping you stay present and regulate your nervous system. The pace is gentle and tailored to your comfort, with the goal of rebuilding trust in your body’s natural responses.
Option 2: EMDR Therapy for Trauma: Reprocessing Painful Memories
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured psychotherapy designed to help people process traumatic memories that feel “stuck.” Developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—like guided eye movements or alternating taps—to activate the brain’s ability to reprocess distressing memories. This stimulation mimics the brain’s natural healing during REM sleep, reducing the emotional intensity of the trauma over time.
Research-Backed Benefits of EMDR Therapy
EMDR is widely recognized as an effective trauma treatment, backed by robust research. The American Psychological Association endorses it as a top choice for PTSD, and a meta-analysis by Bisson et al. (2013) found it matches cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing symptoms—sometimes working faster. Studies suggest EMDR can lessen the grip of flashbacks and anxiety, offering relief in fewer sessions for some, making it a powerful option for trauma survivors.
What to Expect in EMDR Sessions
An EMDR session typically lasts 60-90 minutes and follows a clear structure. You’ll begin by identifying a specific traumatic memory and the negative beliefs tied to it (e.g., “I’m powerless”). Then, while holding that memory in mind, you’ll engage in bilateral stimulation—perhaps following your therapist’s finger with your eyes or listening to alternating tones. This process repeats in short sets until the memory feels less overwhelming. Your therapist will check in regularly, ensuring you feel supported. Over multiple sessions, EMDR aims to transform how you experience that memory, easing its emotional weight.
Rebuilding After the Storm
Trauma is a profound and often life-altering experience, but it doesn’t have to define your future. By understanding the nature of trauma, recognizing its symptoms, and seeking the right support—whether through social networks or professional therapy—you can begin to rebuild your emotional dam and reclaim your life.
Healing is not a linear process, and it’s okay to ask for help along the way. Whether you’re grappling with the immediate aftermath of trauma or the long-term effects of PTSD, recovery is possible. With the right tools and support, you can weather the storm and emerge stronger on the other side.
Trauma can weigh heavily on your life, leaving you feeling isolated and overwhelmed. You might experience vivid memories and nightmares or feel numb and disconnected. You may have a constant sense of anxiety while your body is holding tension and fatigue. If you’re reading this, you may be seeking a way to heal and reclaim your life.
You may have heard of EMDR, but you’re unsure if it’s the right choice for you. That uncertainty is completely understandable. Seeking help for trauma takes immense courage and finding a treatment that feels safe and effective is a deeply personal decision.
In this blog, we’ll explore what EMDR is, address common questions and hesitancies, examine different types of trauma, and dive into the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for trauma. By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of how I conduct this therapy and whether or not this approach might support your healing journey. Let’s start by unpacking what EMDR is all about.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a therapy designed to help people process and heal from traumatic memories. It was developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro, who noticed that certain eye movements seemed to lessen the intensity of distressing thoughts. From that discovery, EMDR has grown into a widely recognized treatment, particularly for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related conditions.
The therapy unfolds in eight distinct phases:
History-taking: Your therapist learns about your trauma history and current challenges.
Preparation: You’re introduced to EMDR and equipped with coping tools to feel safe during the process.
Assessment: Together, you identify a specific traumatic memory to target and the negative beliefs tied to it.
Desensitization: Using bilateral stimulation—like guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones—you focus on the memory while your brain begins to reprocess it.
Installation: Positive beliefs are reinforced to replace the negative ones.
Body scan: You check for lingering physical sensations linked to the trauma.
Closure: The session ends with steps to ensure you feel stable and grounded.
Reevaluation: Progress is assessed in future sessions, addressing any remaining distress.
As an EMDR therapist, I prioritize gathering information and listening to your story thoroughly before we start the reprocessing and desensitization phases. One important aspect of the traumatic experiences that EMDR addresses is the beliefs we develop about ourselves as a result of these memories. For example, if you have experienced a natural disaster, you might hold beliefs such as “It was my fault” or “I should have known better” based on the specific memory that troubles you.
The core of EMDR lies in bilateral stimulation, which helps your brain rewire the traumatic memory and form new beliefs. This, in turn, reduces the traumatic memories’ emotional sting and allows you to move forward. But with any therapy, questions and doubts naturally arise—let’s address some of those next.
Heal Faster with EMDR Therapy
EMDR is a proven, effective approach for trauma recovery. Work with experienced EMDR therapists in Los Angeles or Pasadena and start seeing real change—safely and efficiently.
When considering EMDR, it’s normal to feel hesitant or curious. Trauma is deeply personal and entrusting your story to a new approach and therapist can feel daunting. Here are some common questions and concerns, along with answers to ease your mind:
How does EMDR actually work? While scientists are still pinpointing the exact mechanics, the theory is that bilateral stimulation mimics the brain’s natural processing during REM sleep. This helps “unlock” stuck traumatic memories, reducing their emotional power. It’s less about reliving the trauma and more about reframing it.
Will it work for my type of trauma? EMDR is versatile, helping with both single incidents (like an accident) and complex, repeated traumas (like ongoing abuse). Some worry it might be overwhelming, but it’s tailored to your pace—therapists often spend extra time preparing those with complex trauma to ensure comfort and safety.
What’s the process like? Sessions typically last 60-90 minutes, and the number varies based on your needs. For some, relief comes in just a few sessions; for others with layered trauma, it might take longer. It’s a structured yet flexible approach, guided by your progress.
These answers aim to clarify, but understanding the nature of your trauma can also shed light on how EMDR might help. Let’s explore that next.
Different Types of Trauma and Their Impact
Trauma isn’t one-size-fits-all—it varies in form and effect, shaping your brain and body in unique ways. Recognizing your trauma’s type can guide your treatment. Here are two key categories:
Single Traumatic Events These are one-time incidents—like a car accident, natural disaster, or assault—that can lead to PTSD. They’re often sudden, shattering your sense of safety. For example, someone who survived a robbery might relive the moment through flashbacks or avoid places that feel unsafe. Single traumas tend to imprint specific, intense memories, making them vivid but contained.
Recurrent Trauma This involves prolonged or repeated experiences, such as childhood abuse, domestic violence, or combat exposure. It can lead to complex PTSD, marked by deeper struggles like chronic shame, distrust, or emotional disconnection. Take someone who endured years of neglect—they might feel unworthy or struggle to form healthy relationships. Recurrent trauma weaves into your identity, altering how you see yourself and the world.
The brain responds differently to these. Single traumas might hyperactivate your amygdala (the fear center), triggering fight-or-flight responses to specific cues. Recurrent trauma, though, can dysregulate your entire stress system, leaving you in a constant state of alertness or numbness. EMDR addresses both, adapting to the trauma’s complexity—whether it’s desensitizing a single memory or untangling a web of pain.
In my training, I learned that our “memory network” resembles a forest filled with various trees. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) focuses on each traumatic memory, helping you to uncover the root beliefs you hold in your mind based on your experiences. While some of these memory networks, or “trees,” keep you safe, others can leave you feeling trapped in a confusing and fearful forest.
EMDR Therapy for Trauma: How Effective Is It?
Now, let’s focus on EMDR therapy for trauma—a search term worth exploring because it captures a powerful question: Can this really help me heal? The answer, backed by research, is a resounding yes. EMDR has transformed lives, and its effectiveness is well-documented.
Impressive Success Rates Studies show EMDR works fast and well. For single-trauma victims, up to 90% no longer meet PTSD criteria after just three 90-minute sessions. For those with multiple traumas, 77% achieve similar freedom after six sessions (PTSD UK). These numbers reflect real relief—less fear, fewer nightmares, more peace.
Research-Backed Results A meta-analysis by Lee and Cuijpers (2013) highlighted the eye movement component’s moderate effect size, proving its role in memory processing. Another by Chen et al. (2014) found EMDR outperforms control conditions, with large effect sizes—meaning it’s not just effective, it’s highly effective. A study by Rothbaum (1997) even showed EMDR reducing PTSD symptoms in sexual assault survivors.
On Par with Top Therapies EMDR holds its own against gold-standard treatments. Research by Seidler and Wagner (2006) confirmed it’s as effective as trauma-focused CBT, giving you options without sacrificing results.
What do these “effect sizes” mean? A moderate one suggests you’d feel better than 69% of untreated people; a large one, better than 84%. That’s a tangible shift—less emotional weight, more room to breathe. Major organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Psychological Association (APA) endorse EMDR, cementing its credibility.
For EMDR therapy for trauma, the evidence is clear: it’s a proven path to healing, whether your trauma is a single blow or a long shadow. But is it right for you? That’s where a skilled therapist comes in.
Is EMDR Right for You?
If EMDR therapy for trauma feels like a possibility, the next step is as simple as it is brave: talk to a qualified therapist. They can assess your unique story and determine if EMDR fits. This therapy has lifted the burden of trauma for countless people, offering a way to process pain without reliving it endlessly. You don’t have to carry this alone—healing is within reach. Reach out to an EMDR-trained professional to explore what’s possible for you.
Take the next right step
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An EMDR tapping exercise with a trained EMDR therapist helps address relational trauma: painful experiences like abuse, neglect, or betrayal from someone close. You might struggle with trusting others, feel unworthy of love, or find intimacy challenging. These effects can linger, disrupting your relationships and sense of self.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy offers a way to process these memories, and a specific technique, Knee Tapping, uses alternating taps on the knees to help your brain rewire its response to trauma. If you’re considering EMDR tapping to heal from relational trauma, this guide will walk you through the challenges, a home exercise, and what to expect in therapy.
Understanding the Challenges of EMDR Tapping for Relational Trauma
Starting EMDR tapping can feel intimidating, especially when relational trauma has shaped your worldview. Here are the main pain points you might encounter:
Difficulty Trusting Others: After being hurt by someone close, opening up to a therapist can feel risky. You might wonder if they’ll truly understand or support you.
Fear of Revisiting Painful Memories: The idea of facing those moments again might make you hesitate. What if the pain feels unbearable?
Emotional Overwhelm: Processing trauma can stir up intense feelings—anger, sadness, or fear—that might seem hard to control.
Shame and Self-Blame: Relational trauma often leaves you questioning your worth or blaming yourself for what happened, making it tough to feel deserving of healing.
Wanting Quick Relief: You might crave fast results, but healing is a gradual journey, which can feel frustrating.
These struggles are normal, and Knee Tapping EMDR is designed to address them gently. With a skilled therapist, you’ll process trauma at a pace that feels safe, reducing its hold over time.
A Simple EMDR Tapping Exercise for Home Practice
While professional guidance is key for EMDR therapy, you can try a simplified EMDR tapping exercise at home to build calm and resilience. This technique, inspired by bilateral stimulation, isn’t a replacement for therapy but can support you between sessions.
Here’s how to do it:
Settle In: Find a quiet, comfortable spot to sit where you won’t be disturbed.
Choose a Positive Resource: Think of something that makes you feel safe and calm—a peaceful place (like a beach), a supportive person, or a happy memory.
Start Tapping: Gently tap your knees alternately—left, right, left, right—at a slow, steady rhythm (about one tap per second).
Focus: As you tap, picture your positive resource. Notice the details—sights, sounds, feelings—and let them sink in.
Pause and Reflect: After 2-3 minutes, stop tapping, take a deep breath, and check in with yourself. How do you feel?
Check-in: If you feel overwhelmed, repeat steps 2-5 to help cool down and return to safety.
This Knee Tapping EMDR exercise helps your brain shift focus to a soothing state. If negative thoughts creep in, gently guide your mind back to your resource. Use it as a tool to feel grounded, not as a fix for deep trauma—that’s where therapy comes in.
It is important to note that you should not try to reprocess a traumatic event without the presence of a trained EMDR therapist who specializes in EMDR tapping. Trying to process traumatic memories through tapping without the presence of a clinician could lead to symptomatic behaviors like disassociation and re-traumatization.
What to Expect in EMDR Therapy: Preparation and Sessions
EMDR therapy is a structured process that starts with preparation and moves into active trauma processing. Here’s what you can expect:
1. Preparation Phase (Around 4 Sessions)
The first few sessions—typically around four—focus on laying a strong foundation:
Building Trust: Your therapist will get to know you, creating a safe space. This is crucial if relational trauma makes trust hard.
Learning the Process: They’ll explain how EMDR tapping works and what to expect, answering any questions.
Developing Coping Skills: You’ll learn techniques like deep breathing or visualization to manage distress during and after sessions.
Planning: Together, you’ll identify the traumatic memories you want to target, ensuring you’re ready to process them.
This phase might take longer if trust or safety needs more time to establish, which is common with relational trauma.
2. EMDR Sessions
Once prepared, you’ll begin the core EMDR work:
Targeting a Memory: You’ll focus on a specific relational trauma memory—say, a moment of betrayal—recalling how it felt emotionally and physically.
Bilateral Stimulation: Your therapist will guide you through Knee Tapping EMDR, tapping your knees alternately (or using another method like eye movements) while you hold the memory in mind.
Processing: As you tap, your brain starts reprocessing the memory. You might notice the emotions soften or new insights emerge.
Checking In: Sessions last 60-90 minutes, and your therapist will ensure you feel stable before ending, using coping skills if needed.
You might need several sessions per memory, depending on its intensity. Emotions can surface—sadness, relief, even exhaustion—but your therapist will support you, keeping the process manageable.
If relational trauma has left you feeling stuck, Knee Tapping EMDR could be a path to freedom. The home exercise offers a taste of calm, but true healing comes from working with a trained therapist. The journey might feel daunting—trusting again, facing memories, riding emotional waves—but it’s worth it. You’re not alone, and recovery is within reach. Reach out to an EMDR professional to explore how EMDR tapping can help you reclaim your life and relationships.
“I don’t feel right in my own skin.” That sensation, of not feeling comfortable in your body, is a signal that simply talking about difficult memories, experiences, and emotions may not be enough to fully process and heal from your discomfort. The dis-ease you feel may need to be treated with therapeutic techniques that don’t rely solely on the thinking self, but on the feeling and sensing self as well: that is somatic psychotherapy.
Somatic approaches to healing were originally developed to treat trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. Now, somatic therapies have been found to be helpful for relief of all kinds of stressors. Often, people automatically equate somatic therapy with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), but there are many other types. Which somatic therapy is right for you?
EMDR – Benefits
When people look for somatic therapy, they often get directed to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR asks you to identify the sources of trauma in your life. As you recall the sources, a therapist guides you to follow certain eye movements (such as following a pen moving side to side in front of you) to retrain the brain on a neurological level to lessen the impact of that trauma memory. This modality has been proven helpful for many people who can identify the life events that caused them to feel distressed and slowly diminish their negative impact on the body and psyche.
EMDR – Limitations
EMDR may not be the best modality to treat conditions that are biological, genetic, or generational. EMDR is not recommended for people who have dissociative disorders, complex trauma, or those who cannot identify the events from their past that bring them emotional or physical discomfort.
You may not fall under any of the above categories, and still found that EMDR did not help you ease pain around past trauma. That may be because you do not get triggered during session when those memories are brought up. EMDR works when the client becomes activated or upset when a certain traumatic memory is brought up, but if you do not get activated, the treatment cannot be effective.
Alternative Somatic Therapies to EMDR
Somatic Experiencing (SE): Like EMDR, SE asks clients to return to traumatic memories while a therapist guides them to slowly tolerate body sensations and emotional distress. This modality is based on the nervous system’s flight/flight/freeze response to potential harm. SE helps clients gently release stored energy from incomplete nervous system re-set.
Brainspotting: Like EMDR, Brainspotting was developed to treat trauma and identifies spots in a person’s visual field. This modality involves asking the client to discuss difficult feelings while noticing when they blink, twitch, wobble or roll their eyes. These micro movements act as a map for where the client should mindfully hold a particular eye position to help process trauma.
Body-Mind Centering integrates movement, touch, voice, and mind. Like Alexander technique, it works to re-pattern the fundamental natural developments of the body. This modality works well for those who are comfortable with free movement and are interested in the application of anatomical and physiological approaches to healing and wellness.
Hakomi Method is based on the idea that the body is a core resource for self-understanding. Almost all Hakomi sessions takes place in a state of mindfulness, where the client holds an inward focus on the present moment. This modality also incorporates aspects of depth psychology, which allows unconscious material that the client might not be aware of to surface and be integrated.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy was developed to remedy the disconnect between mind and body during the healing process. Unlike EMDR and SE, this modality does not need the client to return to the traumatic memory itself, but rather simply the time leading up to the trauma, and then talk about any feelings they experience. The therapist will ask you to locate feelings in the body and encourage the completion of movement that were unfulfilled to create closure.
Laban Movement Analysis (also known as Bartenieff Fundamentals) is based on the idea that certain non-verbal postures and body movements are connected to specific emotions and that you can impact your emotional state by adjusting your body shape. Therapists “track” client movement during session, offering insight into how the movement may be connected to emotion.
All the above somatic therapy modalities have their own training and certification process. If one of them feels like a good fit, you can find a specific practitioner near you.
Somatic Therapy Tailored for YOU.
If you are still not sure if you want to focus on just one treatment style, you can see a therapist, like me, who holds a Certification in Somatic Psychotherapies and Practices and can dip into many different modalities as needed. I highly recommend this path for those with more than one concern or diagnosis, people who suffer from both physical and emotional pain, for those who are unsure about where their emotional or physical pain comes from, and for those who want to augment regular talk therapy with specific somatic interventions tailored to fit their needs.
You may have come to therapy, not because your mind told you to, but because your body did. When the body speaks, listen.
I would love to talk with you more about providing the somatic therapy best for you.
Emotional trauma can be a daily struggle. It can be upsetting to have feelings like fear, panic, anger, or sadness pop-up uninvited. Maybe you have wondered about how to get help, but have felt overwhelmed at the options. Which therapist is going to help me? Is there a “right” kind of therapy that will make my daily life better? And what is EMDR?
I understand how hard it can be to settle on the right kind of therapy for you. In this blog, I’m going to help you make sense of a few of the most common approaches to treating emotional trauma, including EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, CBT, and DBT.
Is there a “go-to” way to treat trauma?
In short, no. Trauma affects people in very different ways. It can be caused by a single highly traumatic event or by repeated experiences to what therapists refer to as “little ‘t’ traumas.” Regardless of the form it takes, trauma can cause long-lasting psychological distress that affects every aspect of one’s life.
Let’s talk options, EMDR and otherwise
The most common form of therapy for trauma is talk therapy. Talk therapy can utilize numerous modalities, from psychodynamic to CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). Both integrate evidence-based practices. They have been tried and tested and demonstrated effectiveness across various populations and symptoms. EMDR is a new method that many people find highly effective to alleviate their symptoms of trauma. However, it is just one of many therapeutic techniques that can help you more effectively cope with and overcome your trauma. Depending on your needs and preferences, you may select for a therapist who specializes in one/multiple of the following forms of treatment.
1. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
In recent years, EMDR was developed. It quickly became a popular form of treatment for trauma. EMDR was developed in the late-1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro to treat PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). EMDR targets trauma’s underlying emotional and cognitive processes. Therapists who practice EMDR believe that traumatic experiences can become “stuck” in the brain. Memories of trauma can thus cause negative beliefs and emotions that affect one’s ability to cope. EMDR can help reprocess these experiences and help develop more adaptive beliefs and coping mechanisms.
In summary, EMDR involves bilateral stimulation. This may be achieved through eye movements, tapping, or auditory cues. While focusing on these cues, the client focuses on a traumatic memory. This bilateral stimulation is believed to aid the client as they reprocess their traumatic memory, thereby facilitating the client to process the memory in a new manner. In my next blog, I’ll interview a therapist who integrates EMDR into treatment for trauma to further explore the goals, practice, and effectiveness of EMDR therapy.
2. Somatic Experiencing (SE)
Of the other treatment methods included in this blog, Somatic Experiencing (SE) has the most in common with EMDR. If you have ever heard of “tapping,” you are already familiar with SE! SE focuses on the physical sensations associated with trauma. It is based on the belief that traumatic experiences can become “trapped” in the body. SE theorizes that by releasing these physical sensations, you can release the trauma and heal. In SE, the therapist will help you become more aware of the physical sensations associated with trauma. This may include tightness in the chest, tension in the muscles, or a racing heart. You will then learn to tune into these sensations and to develop strategies for releasing them. SE often involves gentle physical touch, such as tapping or holding, to help the person release the physical tension that is associated with the trauma. The therapist might also guide you through movements or exercises to help release the trauma from your body.
3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on the triad relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It is often used to treat anxiety and depression, but can also be effective in treating trauma. CBT will teach you how to identify negative thought patterns associated with your trauma. Then you will learn to challenge them, and then replace them with more realistic, positive, and adaptive ones. This can help you develop coping strategies and improve your overall well-being.
4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder. However, it has been found to be effective in treating other mental health disorders as well, including trauma. DBT focuses on helping you learn to regulate your emotions and develop more effective coping strategies. In DBT, your therapist will teach you how to identify the triggers that lead to emotional dysregulation. You will then learn and practice skills to help you manage your emotions. These skills may include mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
So how do I determine which method is right for me?
Actually, you don’t need to choose just one! EMDR is not a standalone treatment for trauma. That means that it is often used in combination with other therapies. EMDR’s goal is to reduce traumatic memories’ intensity and associated negative beliefs. Thus, EMDR can make it easier for you to engage in other forms of therapy. Overall, there are many different therapeutic approaches to treating trauma, and no one approach is right for everyone. The best approach will depend on your individual needs, preferences, and experiences.
What are my next steps?
Whether you choose EMDR, CBT, DBT, SE, or another approach to treating trauma, the most important thing is to take that first step and seek help. If you are struggling with trauma or a trauma-related disorder, it’s important to seek help from a qualified mental health professional who can help you find the right treatment approach for you. As a psychologist, I appreciate when potential clients ask me about my qualifications to help them achieve their treatment goals! I hope this empowers you to ask the therapist you are considering working with about their level of experience and expertise in treating trauma in general and/or in a specific form of treatment.
Trauma can have a profound impact on a person’s life, but it doesn’t have to control it. With the help of a qualified mental health professional, you can develop the skills and strategies you need to heal from the effects of trauma and live a happier, more fulfilling life.
Don’t let trauma hold you back any longer – book an appointment with a psychologist today and start your journey towards healing and recovery. Your mental health and well-being are worth investing in, and there is no better time than now to take that first step towards a brighter future.
