How EMDR therapy reprograms trauma responses in the nervous system

Here is the simplest way to explain EMDR to someone who is afraid of being re-traumatized: some memories get stored before the brain has finished processing them, so they still feel like they are happening now. EMDR asks you to touch a small piece of that memory briefly, while your attention is also anchored in the present by eye movements, tones, or taps. That split attention makes the memory less vivid and less charged, which lets the brain file it as something that happened then, not something happening now.

You are not asked to relive the event, and you stay in charge of the pace the whole time.

Key points

The World Health Organization recommends EMDR, alongside trauma-focused CBT, for adults, adolescents, and children with PTSD.
Unlike some trauma therapies, EMDR does not require detailed retelling of the event, extended exposure, or homework.
Laboratory research shows that eye movements during recall reduce how vivid and emotional a distressing memory feels.
Preparation and a trusting therapeutic relationship come before any memory processing.

Why trauma feels “stuck” in the body

When something overwhelming happens, the nervous system shifts into survival mode. Stress hormones surge, and the brain prioritizes speed over storage. The result can be a memory that is fragmented and loaded with the original fear, body sensations, and beliefs, such as “I’m not safe” or “It was my fault.”

Later, a sound, a tone of voice, or a smell can reactivate that whole package. Your body responds as if the threat were present, even when you know intellectually that it isn’t. EMDR’s founder, Francine Shapiro, described this through the adaptive information processing model: distress persists because the memory was never fully integrated with the rest of what you know (Shapiro, 2018).

How EMDR helps the brain reprocess a memory

Researchers are still refining exactly why EMDR works, and it is worth being honest about that. Several explanations have empirical support, and they may work together.

The best-studied is the working memory account. Holding a distressing image in mind takes mental resources, and so does tracking a moving hand or light. When you do both at once, there is less capacity left to keep the image sharp. In controlled studies, eye movements during recall reduced both the vividness and the emotional intensity of negative memories compared with recall alone (Engelhard et al., 2010). One study found that vividness tends to drop first, with emotional intensity following (Smeets et al., 2012).

A second explanation involves memory reconsolidation. When a memory is recalled under the right conditions, it becomes briefly changeable before it is stored again. Pairing recall with present-moment safety may allow it to be re-stored with less threat attached. This is why we sometimes describe EMDR as changing how a memory is held, not erasing what happened.

The clinical evidence is substantial. The WHO recommends EMDR for PTSD and notes that, unlike trauma-focused CBT, it does not involve detailed descriptions of the event, direct challenging of beliefs, extended exposure, or homework (WHO, 2013). The American Psychological Association’s PTSD guideline also lists EMDR as a recommended treatment.

Will EMDR re-traumatize me?

This is one of the most important questions a person can ask, and it deserves a direct answer. EMDR is designed so that you are never pushed into a memory you are not ready for. Treatment follows eight phases, and the first two, history-taking and preparation, happen before any memory work begins.

Preparation includes learning grounding and calming skills you can use in session and between sessions, agreeing on a stop signal, and building enough trust that you can tell your therapist when something feels like too much. Whitney Polich, LICSW, has described why skipping this step doesn’t work:

“But if you don’t have any trust with me, I don’t know anything about you. If we don’t have a built relationship and built rapport, it’s there’s so much like I think we’ve described it as like dust. There’s like cobwebs and dust to get through before we could even approach it.” — Whitney Polich, LICSW, Spilling the Tea, Ep. 1 (10:50)

It also helps to know that your brain has its own protective limits. Many clients worry they will be forced to recover memories they can’t access. On the podcast, this was framed with a useful metaphor:

“Let’s sit down and watch a movie of all the worst things that’s ever happened to you that you remember.” And maybe some you don’t, would you want to watch that movie? — Whitney Polich, LICSW, Spilling the Tea, Ep. 1 (6:20)

No one wants to watch that movie, and EMDR doesn’t ask you to. It works with what you can reach, in small, manageable pieces.

Honesty matters here too. Processing can bring up emotion, and some people feel tired afterward. As Whitney puts it, “I tell people after EMDR, you might be really tired” (Ep. 1, 4:02). Research also shows that dropout is higher in trauma-focused therapies than in other approaches (Lewis et al., 2020), which is exactly why careful pacing and a solid relationship are part of the treatment, not extras.

“It is a really long runway.” — Whitney Polich, LICSW, on EMDR preparation, Spilling the Tea, Ep. 3 (15:01)

What an EMDR session actually feels like

Once you and your therapist agree you’re ready, you’ll bring to mind an image connected to the memory, the negative belief that goes with it, and where you feel it in your body. Your therapist then guides short sets of side-to-side eye movements, tones, or taps. After each set, you simply notice what comes up. There is no right answer.

Over time, the memory usually becomes more distant and less charged. People often describe it as still knowing what happened but no longer feeling pulled back into it. Sessions end with closure techniques so you leave feeling settled.

Is EMDR right for you?

EMDR is most effective when unresolved trauma is driving current symptoms. For some people, a different approach fits better. At Concord Counseling Associates, we also offer Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Internal Family Systems (IFS), and we explain the difference between ART and EMDR in a separate article. Learn more about EMDR therapy at our practice.

We offer in-person therapy in Concord and secure virtual sessions throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Schedule a free consultation to talk through whether EMDR is a good fit for you.

Connect with Concord Counseling Associates

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Related information

American Psychological Association. (2017). Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults.

Engelhard, I. M., van Uijen, S. L., & van den Hout, M. A. (2010). The impact of taxing working memory on negative and positive memories. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 1.

Lewis, C., Roberts, N. P., Gibson, S., & Bisson, J. I. (2020). Dropout from psychological therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1), 1709709.

Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

Smeets, M. A., Dijs, M. W., Pervan, I., Engelhard, I. M., & van den Hout, M. A. (2012). Time-course of eye movement-related decrease in vividness and emotionality of unpleasant autobiographical memories. Memory, 20(4), 346–357.

World Health Organization. (2013). Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress. WHO.

I cannot emphasize enough how kind, caring and compassionate Dr. Junco is. He is also incredibly gifted in his abilities to help others. I was initially seeking a trauma therapist for EMDR treatment, Dr. Junco suggested ART instead. He explained how it works, and we discussed how it sounds too good to be true. I was skeptical at our first session but trusted Dr. Junco's recommendation. It was an oddly calm experience considering the memories I was working with, and I left the session feeling lighter. Right away I noticed positive changes. The greatest was how sudden noise would startle me. At first, I was expecting to be startled but I did not have the full-blown fight or flight response. It was only a feeling of anticipation of that feeling. After a week or two, things recalibrated and I hardly notice sudden noises any longer. This alone has greatly improved quality of life. Looking forward to processing the rest.

J C

Dr. Junco guided me through my first experience with ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy). He made me feel comfortable sharing my trauma and led a very calming therapy session. He is one of the kindest and most compassionate people I have ever met. I was skeptical of this process; however, I have made tremendous progress overcoming my phobia since the appointment. Immediately after the session, I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders, and I continue to realize new progress now (a month later). I will go back to Dr. Junco if another issue arises in a heartbeat, and I cannot recommend him enough! Thank you!!

I was referred to Dr. Junco for Accelerated Resolution Therapy by my Therapist after years of struggling with my phobia with no significant progress. My phobia was impacting my daily life. I was very skeptical about this therapy because I read it can take as little as one session to work. I literally felt it was too good to be true. Dr. Junco was very validating about my skepticism and took the time to answer all of my questions before my appointment. After my appointment, I started noticing small changes that I now realize are big life changes. I believe this therapy has truly changed my life. I will be returning to Dr. Junco in the future to work on other areas in my life. Truly amazing!!

O S

This was my first experience with ART. Dr Junco was so pleasant and immediately made me feel at ease. His room was nicely designed and the lighting was peaceful. I was in a bit of a panic that day given a collection of events that had occurred the day before. I was amazed at how Dr Junco was able to calm me down within minutes with this technique. I worked in an incident that occurred when I was a child. It was a belief around the religion I was raised in. Though I hadn’t been in the religion for over 2 decades there was a sense of guilt that I carried for being inactive in it for all of these years. After just one session with Dr Junco I feel so much freedom around this incident. It feels as if it’s now a shadow I’m aware of that I’m completely at peace with. I’m so grateful for the work Dr Junko does. I strongly recommend him to anyone who feels stuck either by trauma or belief systems that hold them back. Why carry emotional weight when you can be free of it? The sooner you let it go, the better.

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