How Therapy Helps Trauma?
Feeling stuck in past trauma? EMDR helps reprocess painful memories, reducing their impact and helping you heal. Move forward with clarity, strength, and peace.
STRESS
Khushboo- Psychologist
1 min read
Many people who experience trauma feel stuck—mentally, emotionally, and even physically. This “stuckness” isn’t just in the mind; it’s in the body. Trauma disrupts the way memories are processed, leaving past events feeling as if they are happening in the present. Instead of being stored as an experience, traumatic memories remain active, resurfacing through flashbacks, emotional distress, chronic anxiety, or physical symptoms like tension, fatigue, or even chronic pain.
Books like The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine explain that trauma isn’t just a psychological event; it gets locked into the nervous system. The brain’s survival mechanism (amygdala) stays on high alert, making even small triggers feel like serious threats. Meanwhile, the logical brain (prefrontal cortex) struggles to process the experience rationally. This creates a loop where trauma keeps replaying, making it difficult to move forward.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps break this cycle. It uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or sound) to activate both sides of the brain, allowing the traumatic memory to be reprocessed and stored correctly. This helps the brain understand that the event is over and no longer a present danger.
Many people describe a profound shift after EMDR. A war veteran who once had panic attacks in crowded places can now go out without fear. A survivor of childhood abuse who struggled with self-worth starts feeling at peace. A car accident victim who kept reliving the crash began to drive again without panic. The memory doesn’t vanish, but it loses its emotional intensity.
Trauma keeps us trapped in survival mode. EMDR helps the brain realize that the danger is in the past, allowing healing, peace, and the ability to reclaim life from trauma.
