Curious About EMDR? A Guide to Trauma & Stress Processing
You may have heard of EMDR if you’ve been exploring therapy, especially if past experiences continue to affect your daily life. EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a type of therapy designed to help people process distressing memories. It’s commonly used not only for trauma but also for anxiety, high stress, and other experiences that continue to influence how you feel today.
EMDR is different from traditional talk therapy. It can be used on its own or alongside talk therapy, and it often involves less verbal processing and more experiential techniques.
People who often benefit from EMDR include those who:
Have experienced past trauma or adverse events
Struggle with ongoing anxiety or panic
Notice stressful events or memories “replaying” in their minds
If your past experiences are affecting how you feel, think, or behave in the present, EMDR may be a helpful approach to consider.
Rewiring Stress: How EMDR Supports Healing
EMDR works differently than traditional talk therapy. While talk therapy often focuses on discussing experiences to build self-awareness and understanding, EMDR emphasizes internal processing. Instead of primarily talking, EMDR uses a structured approach to help your brain reprocess memories so they are less triggering and overwhelming when recalled.
During EMDR, a therapist guides you to recall a memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation, alternating stimulation of each hemisphere of the brain, often through guided eye movements, tapping, or sounds. This process helps the brain integrate the memory more adaptively, moving it from the highly activated amygdala, where traumatic memories are emotionally intense, to the hippocampus, where neutral memories are stored. Over time, this reduces the emotional intensity of the memory, making it feel less overwhelming.
Trauma and stress are stored in both the brain and the body. Significant stress can leave you feeling anxious, exhausted, unsafe, or “stuck” in a fight-or-flight or freeze response, even when you logically know there’s no immediate danger. These physical and emotional reactions happen because stress affects the nervous system, often pushing it outside its “window of tolerance” into a heightened or dysregulated state.
EMDR works by activating the nervous system in a safe and controlled way, allowing the body and mind to gradually process the experience and regulate its emotional charge. Over time, triggers become less overwhelming, and the nervous system can settle into a calmer baseline, helping you feel more present and grounded in daily life.
EMDR vs. Talk Therapy: What’s the Difference?
Traditional therapy often focuses on talking through thoughts and feelings to gain insight and perspective. This approach can be incredibly helpful for understanding yourself and your experiences. Talk therapy can also help regulate the nervous system indirectly, as repeatedly processing difficult experiences can act as a form of exposure and emotional regulation.
EMDR, in contrast:
Can be faster for certain types of trauma
Is less talk-focused, emphasizing experiential processing
Helps reduce the emotional intensity of memories
It’s important to remember that EMDR is not a magical cure. Progress depends on your readiness, support system, and the guidance of a trained therapist. That said, many people notice significant relief in fewer sessions than traditional therapy might require.
More Than Reprocessing: The Full EMDR Process
EMDR is more than just “reprocessing” a memory, although this is the phase that is most talked about and widely known. It’s a multi-phase process, typically including:
History and Treatment Planning – Understanding your experiences and preparing you for the process. This may take a few sessions and is more talk-focused as you and your therapist get to know each other and build rapport.
Preparation – Teaching grounding and coping skills to manage intensity. In this phase, your therapist may teach you about the nervous system and equip you with tools to practice to help you regulate your nervous system.
Assessment – Identifying the target memory and associated beliefs or emotions. This, again, will look similar to talk therapy and may take a few sessions. Building awareness of what target memory you want to reprocess may take some time, especially if there isn’t one single traumatic event.
Desensitization/Reprocessing – Using bilateral stimulation to process the memory. This is the most widely talked about phase of EMDR.
Installation – Strengthening positive beliefs to replace unhelpful ones
Body Scan – Noticing any residual tension or distress in the body
Closure – Helping you return to a calm state after each session
Reevaluation – Checking in on progress in later sessions
This structure ensures that EMDR is safe, gradual, and effective and helps memories become less overwhelming over time.
What to Know Before Starting EMDR
EMDR is a type of trauma therapy, which means often when engaging in EMDR we are discussing and bringing up painful and emotionally charged memories. These can bring up strong emotions, and likely will, given the unresolved nature of the memories.
It’s important to go into EMDR as an informed participant so you aren’t caught off guard or shocked when you don’t immediately feel like your trauma or stress never happened. Memories aren’t erased, they are processed from one part of the brain, the emotionally charged amydgala, to the more neutral hippocampus, which helps them feel less overwhelming when recalled in therapy or on your own.
For some people, this experience can feel intense and warrant pauses in reprocessing to engage in talk therapy or additional nervous system regulation. This is why working with a therapist trained specifically in EMDR is essential. They can guide you safely through the process and provide support when strong emotions arise.
Integrating EMDR Into Your Therapy Journey
EMDR can be used in different ways:
Used as a standalone therapy for specific memories or stressors
Integrated with talk therapy to support broader emotional growth, coping skills, and insight
Many people find the combination of EMDR and talk therapy especially powerful: EMDR addresses the “stuck” emotional material, while talk therapy helps make sense of it and apply insights to daily life.
Final Thoughts
EMDR isn’t magic, and it’s not right for everyone, but for many people, it can be a powerful tool to reduce the intensity of past memories, manage anxiety, and feel more present in daily life. If you’re curious about trying EMDR, a trained therapist can help you determine if it’s a good fit and guide you safely through the process.
If you’re in Colorado and curious about EMDR, reach out to talk more. We can explore whether EMDR, talk therapy, or a blend of the two might be a good fit for your healing.