“EMDR helps “defrost” frozen memories,
Providing healing to the root of pain.”
― Unknown
There are moments in life that stay lodged somewhere deep — not just in memory, but in muscle, breath, heartbeat.
Sometimes, healing isn’t about thinking our way out of pain.
Sometimes, it begins when we let the body tell its story.
That’s where EMDR comes in.
“The body remembers what the mind forgets.”
— Bessel van der Kolk (2014)
What Is EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a mouthful of words for a practice that’s both simple and profound.
Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the 1980s, EMDR was originally designed to help those living with trauma — especially survivors of war, assault, or deep emotional wounding. She noticed that certain eye movements seemed to reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts and emotions (Shapiro, 1989).
Today, EMDR is recognized by mental health organizations worldwide as an evidence-based therapy for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and even phobias. Originally designed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), EMDR is now recognized by the World Health Organization (2013) and the American Psychiatric Association (2017) as an evidence-based therapy for trauma, anxiety, and related disorders.
But what makes it fascinating — and beautifully holistic — is that it works not by talking endlessly about pain, but by helping the mind and body finish what was once interrupted (Shapiro, 2018).
How EMDR Works
When we experience trauma, the brain sometimes fails to process it completely. The memory, emotion, and body sensations remain stuck, as if frozen in time (van der Kolk, 2014).
Even years later, a sound, smell, or phrase can pull us right back into that old moment — the body reacting as if it’s happening all over again.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, gentle taps, or alternating sounds in each ear) to engage both hemispheres of the brain while recalling those memories.
This rhythmic pattern helps the nervous system reprocess and integrate those experiences — allowing the emotional charge to release and the story to soften (Shapiro, 2018).
In more clinical language, EMDR helps bridge communication between the amygdala (where fear lives) and the prefrontal cortex (where logic and regulation live) (Pagani et al., 2012).
In more spiritual language, it helps the soul unclench.
What a Session Feels Like
Each EMDR session begins with safety.
A therapist helps you anchor in the present — with breath, visualization, or grounding imagery.
Only then do you approach the memory (Maxfield, 2019).
While recalling it, the therapist will guide your eyes side to side, or use light taps or tones that alternate left to right.
It’s strange at first — mechanical, almost hypnotic — and yet, something happens.
Emotions rise and shift. Images change. A once-sharp scene begins to blur around the edges.
After each set, the therapist asks: “What do you notice now?”
And slowly, the answers change. The fear becomes smaller. The story becomes something you can hold, instead of something that holds you (Shapiro, 2018).
By the end, many describe a sense of relief, or quiet clarity — as if a storm has passed and the air has cleared.
Science Meets Spirit
To me, EMDR feels like an energetic unwinding of the nervous system.
Much like Reiki or breathwork, it invites balance between hemispheres, between thought and sensation, between past and present.
From a spiritual perspective, the eye movements are not random. They mirror the natural rhythm of the body at peace— like the swing of a pendulum, the flow of energy through meridians, or the crossing of the corpus callosum where energy and emotion finally meet (Stickgold, 2002).
Trauma doesn’t just live in the mind; it echoes through the subtle body.
So when EMDR helps release those imprints, it’s not just psychological — it’s energetic.
Benefits and Boundaries
EMDR may help with:
- PTSD and complex trauma
- Anxiety, panic attacks, phobias
- Grief, guilt, and shame
- Emotional numbness or dissociation
- Self-limiting beliefs formed from early experiences
But like all healing work, EMDR isn’t instant.
It unfolds in layers, and it can stir deep emotions before they clear.
It’s important to work with a trained, licensed EMDR practitioner who creates a safe, contained environment (EMDR International Association, 2022).
After sessions, grounding and integration are key: journaling, movement, hydration***, rest***.
I also recommend pairing EMDR with calming modalities like meditation, breathwork, or Reiki to help energy flow freely afterward.
***Please, please, please, these sessions proceed through the full CNS and PNS, rest and hydration are needed. Also, a tip to the wise: don’t plan a session too close to major tests or deadlines. These sessions can take time to recover from.
If You’re Considering EMDR
Here are a few thoughts to take with you:
🌙 Ask your therapist about their training and trauma background.
🌿 Start small. Choose lighter memories until your nervous system feels ready for deeper work.
🔥 Honor what arises. Emotions that surface are not regressions — they’re releases.
💧 Give yourself grace. Healing rarely moves in straight lines.
✨ Support your energy. Integrate through nature, grounding, and gentle body care.
EMDR reminds us that healing is not about erasing what happened — it’s about reclaiming who we were before the pain took over.
It teaches that memory isn’t just mental; it’s embodied. And when we move our eyes, we move our energy — and the story begins to change.
“Healing doesn’t mean the damage never existed.
It means the damage no longer controls our life.”
If you’ve ever felt haunted by something your body won’t let go of — perhaps EMDR is one of the keys waiting for you.
A way to walk with your past, rather than be followed by it.
A way to come home to yourself.
Let the trauma be free. Your mind body and soul deserve free expression and not the need to trap reserved afflictions. -Dean
MBS | Mind Body Soul
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2017). Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
EMDR International Association. (2022). What is EMDR therapy? https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/
Pagani, M., Di Lorenzo, G., Verardo, A. R., Nicolais, G., Monaco, L., Lauretti, G., Russo, R., & Siracusano, A. (2012). Neurobiological correlates of EMDR monitoring—An EEG study. PLoS ONE, 7(9), e45753. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045753
Shapiro, F. (1989). Efficacy of the eye movement desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2(2), 199–223.
Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Stickgold, R. (2002). EMDR: A putative neurobiological mechanism of action. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(1), 61–75. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.1129
van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking Press.
World Health Organization. (2013). Guidelines for the management of conditions that are specifically related to stress. World Health Organization.
Mind Body & Soul 