What is EMDR Therapy?

Healing isn’t always as simple as thinking your way through it, or trying to just forget about it. Maybe you’ve done all the “right” things. You’ve read the books, talked it through, tried to move on. But something still doesn’t feel settled inside. Maybe it’s old memories that still feel too close. Or anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere. When your body is holding onto something your mind can’t quite explain, it can feel frustrating and disorienting.

You might have heard of EMDR therapy and wondered, “What is that, exactly? And could it help me?”

If you’ve done all the “right” things and still feel stuck, EMDR therapy can help your brain and body finally process what’s been holding you back.

Here’s what EMDR therapy is, and how it can help you heal.

What is EMDR?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Yes, I know, it’s a mouthful that sounds technical and kind of intimidating. But the idea is relatively simple: EMDR is a research-backed therapy that helps your brain reprocess distressing experiences, so they don’t continue to take over your present-day experience.

EMDR was first developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro who found that certain types of eye movements seemed to reduce the intensity of distressing thoughts. Since then, it’s evolved into one of the most effective treatments for trauma. And now, it’s even used for treating much more than trauma. EMDR can be helpful for:

• PTSD and complex trauma

• Anxiety and panic attacks

• Phobias

• Grief and loss

• Chronic stress and burnout

• OCD and intrusive thoughts

• Negative core beliefs (like “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not safe”)

Although EMDR has been around for decades, it’s gained wider attention in recent years, thanks in part to the bestselling book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and public figures like Prince Harry and Miley Cyrus sharing how EMDR helped them process their own mental health struggles. As more people speak openly about healing from trauma, EMDR has become more widely recognized as a powerful, evidence-based approach.

Why EMDR?

What makes EMDR different from traditional talk therapy is that you don’t have to talk through every painful detail or retell your story over and over again. Instead, EMDR uses your brain’s natural healing process, helping your brain “unstick” memories that can feel frozen in time.

Rather than relying only on insight or logic, EMDR works with your body and nervous system first. It helps you feel safer and more regulated before you start trying to make sense of everything.

Let me give you an example to explain: maybe you know you’re not a bad person, but deep down, sometimes you still feel like you are. EMDR can help shift those deeper emotional and body-based beliefs. Your mind and body can be on the same page, so you actually feel better, instead of constantly trying to convince yourself with logic alone.

As your brain reprocesses old memories, EMDR helps strengthen new, healthier neural pathways, kind of like carving out a new trail in the woods. The more you walk that path, the easier it becomes to follow. Over time, those old overgrown trails of fear, shame, or helplessness get used less and less. You’re not just thinking differently. You’re actually rewiring your brain for safety, clarity, and resilience.

Here’s another way to explain it: when you experience something traumatic, your brain can get overwhelmed and be unable to fully process what happened. Instead of filing it away like a regular memory, the experience stays stuck in a raw, unprocessed form—along with all the intense feelings, body sensations, and negative beliefs that came with it.

These traumatic memories then stay tied to the brain’s threat center—the amygdala—which plays a big role in activating your fight, flight, or freeze survival responses. That’s why certain triggers can make you feel like you’re right back in that moment, even if the event happened years ago. Your brain hasn’t fully registered that the danger is over.

EMDR helps your brain reprocess those memories so they’re no longer so emotionally charged or tied to a threat response. It doesn’t erase what happened, but it helps your brain store the memory in a more adaptive, grounded way. Many people say the memory is still there, but it no longer holds the same power, emotional weight, or intensity over them.

How Does EMDR Work?

During an EMDR session, we briefly bring attention to a specific distressing memory while using something called bilateral stimulation. Bilateral stimulation is essentially engaging both sides of the brain in a rhythmic, alternating way. This might look like side-to-side eye movements, gentle tapping (on the shoulders, hands, or knees), or alternating sounds through headphones.

This is thought to help the brain process the memory in a new way, kind of like shifting gears so that the memory can now move out of that “stuck” place. As the memory is reprocessed, the emotional charge starts to fade. The memory itself is still there, but it no longer feels as overwhelming, intense, or triggering.

Over time, you may notice that:

• The memory feels more distant or less vivid.

• The emotional distress tied to it decreases.

• New, more helpful beliefs begin to emerge.

For example, a memory that left you feeling helpless or unsafe might eventually feel resolved and come with a more grounded belief like: “I survived,” “I’m safe now,” or “I have choices.”

What Does the Science Say?

Truthfully, we don’t fully understand exactly how EMDR works, but there are several solid theories.

One widely accepted idea is that bilateral stimulation mimics the brain activity that happens during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. REM sleep is the phase of sleep closely tied to memory processing. Just like how our brain naturally sorts and integrates experiences during sleep, EMDR may help by targeting disturbing memories that didn’t get processed properly beforehand.

Another theory is that dual attention (holding a painful memory in your mind while staying grounded in the present moment) helps your brain to reprocess that experience without getting overwhelmed.

What we do know for sure is this: EMDR has been studied extensively and is recognized by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, and other leading institutions as an effective treatment for trauma and related conditions.

It’s More Than Just Eye Movements: The 8 Phases of EMDR

Many people think EMDR is just the eye movements, but that’s actually just one part of a structured, eight-phase process. Here’s a brief overview:

• History-taking & treatment planning: We explore your history, the context of what you're struggling with, and your goals for therapy.

• Preparation: We don’t rush into processing memories. We’ll first build tools to help you stay grounded.

• Assessment: We identify the memory, negative belief, emotions, and body sensations connected to the experience.

• Desensitization: This is where we use bilateral stimulation while you focus on the memory to help your brain process it.

• Installation: We reinforce a positive belief to replace the old, distressing one.

• Body scan: We check for any lingering tension or discomfort in the body.

• Closure: We help you return to a calm state at the end of each session.

• Re-evaluation: We assess how things have shifted, decide where to go next, and how to integrate the changes into your daily life.

You’re never rushed, and you’re not reliving the traumatic experience.

Is EMDR Right for You?

• If you keep looping on the same thoughts, emotions, or triggers…

• If you have beliefs that you know to be true but don’t feel true…

• If you’ve tried talk therapy and still feel stuck…

• If you’re ready for lasting change…

EMDR could be the missing piece.

I offer EMDR therapy in Colorado, specializing in helping women who are burned out, anxious, or carrying unresolved trauma finally feel lighter, calmer, and more grounded. Curious about EMDR? Let’s chat: schedule a free consultation.

Michaela Zoppa is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Colorado. She supports women and teen girls navigating anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, and burnout.

Learn More/Sources:

EMDR Institute. (n.d.). What is EMDR? Retrieved from https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) for PTSD. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/eye-movement-reprocessing

EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://www.emdria.org