Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is unique in a variety of ways. It’s a short-term therapy that can help you reprocess traumatic memories in a matter of weeks (depending on complexity). It isn’t a traditional form of talk therapy in that you’re not sharing heavy details about your past for months. It is a holistic approach that focuses on the mind-body connection to help you find freedom from your traumatic memories.
But, what happens when those memories are a little fuzzy?
Does EMDR therapy still work if you have a hard time remembering the details of your trauma? In short, absolutely. In fact, most EMDR therapists are prepared for that.
Let’s take a closer look at why EMDR can still be highly effective, even if you struggle to remember trauma.
Why Don’t You Remember Traumatic Experiences?
Your mind can block out trauma for a variety of reasons, but it’s typically done to protect yourself. You might not remember much of the event, or some of the details might be blurry. This is often referred to as dissociation.
When you dissociate from a traumatic experience, your mind is trying to keep you from thinking about it and reliving it every day. While it can be a helpful defense mechanism, it also doesn’t necessarily do you any favors, in the long run. If you block out your trauma, you’re more likely to hold onto it. So, it goes unprocessed for years, and can lead to lingering negative symptoms.
Emotions Over Memories
Again, EMDR isn’t necessarily considered talk therapy. However, you should expect to talk to your therapist about your history. Open up about as much of your traumatic memories as you can. It’s okay if you can’t remember the details. EMDR is more focused on your emotions and how you react to those memories than the specificities of what happened.
Your therapist might use guides to evoke more emotions. That could include smells, sights, or sounds that can trigger the memory for you. As you’re focused on it, more emotions might come forward. More details might emerge, too, and you might end up remembering more about the traumatic experience than you ever thought possible.
Unexamined feelings can be very powerful. Don’t be surprised if emotions rise to the surface that you didn’t expect. Remind yourself that you are in a safe, neutral environment, and nothing can happen to you. The more freely you open yourself up to the process, the more successful it’s likely to be.
Listen to Your Body
Even if your mind doesn’t remember all of the details of a traumatic event, your body might. One of the unique things about EMDR is body scanning. Your therapist will do a body scan after your reprocessing session. They’ll take note of any area of the body that reacts to the scan, so it’s important to speak up if you’re feeling any pain or discomfort in a particular area. That will help your therapist know where trauma is being stored, so you can focus on releasing it there.
Is EMDR the Right Therapy for You?
EMDR can help with so much more than trauma. But, if you’ve experienced a traumatic event at some point in your life, it can help you fully process it and take control of your thoughts again.
Even if the experience happened years ago, or you’ve worked hard to forget certain parts of it, EMDR can still be effective. Be open with your therapist about what you remember, and let them help you uncover more parts of the experience as you go through your healing journey together.
At Onyx, our therapists are trauma-informed and most of our psychologists are trained and competent with EMDR. If you think EMDR might be a good option for you, reach out to our office to book a session with one of our EMDR therapists.
