How EMDR Therapy Helped Me Process 20 Years of Trauma in 6 Months
By Maria Santos
Published: August 25, 2025 • 10 min read
For two decades, I carried trauma in my body like a hidden weight. Childhood abuse, a violent relationship, a car accident—each experience layered on top of the others until I could barely function. Traditional therapy helped me understand my trauma intellectually, but I couldn't escape the flashbacks, nightmares, and constant hypervigilance.
Then I discovered EMDR therapy. In six months, this evidence-based treatment helped me process traumas that had controlled my life for 20 years. It didn't erase my past, but it freed me from its emotional prison.
If you're struggling with trauma, PTSD, or overwhelming memories that won't fade, this is everything I wish I'd known about EMDR before I started.
What is EMDR Therapy?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Developed by psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro in the 1980s, EMDR is a structured therapy approach designed to help people process traumatic memories and reduce their emotional impact.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—typically eye movements, but sometimes sounds or tactile sensations—while you recall traumatic memories. This process helps your brain reprocess the memories in a way that reduces their emotional charge.
How EMDR Works: The Science
According to research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, trauma memories get "stuck" in the brain's emotional processing center (amygdala) instead of being properly integrated into long-term memory storage.
When you experience trauma:
- Normal processing fails: The memory stays in raw, emotional form
- Triggers activate the memory: Current situations remind you of the trauma
- You relive the experience: Your brain reacts as if the trauma is happening now
- Fight/flight response activates: Even though you're actually safe
EMDR helps move these stuck memories from the emotional brain to the thinking brain, where they can be processed as "something that happened" rather than "something that's still happening."
My EMDR Journey: The Results
After 6 months of EMDR therapy (24 sessions), my life transformed in measurable ways:
Who Can Benefit from EMDR?
EMDR is highly effective for trauma-related conditions, according to research from the American Psychological Association:
- PTSD and Complex PTSD: Gold-standard treatment with extensive research support
- Childhood abuse and neglect: Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse
- Combat trauma: Military and veteran PTSD
- Medical trauma: From procedures, diagnoses, or hospital experiences
- Accident trauma: Car accidents, natural disasters
Finding the Right EMDR Therapist
The therapeutic relationship is crucial for EMDR success. Here's how to find the right provider:
Essential Qualifications:
- EMDRIA Certification: Completed approved EMDR training programs
- Licensed mental health professional: Psychologist, social worker, or counselor
- Trauma specialization: Experience with your specific type of trauma
- Ongoing training: Continues education in trauma-informed approaches
To Anyone Carrying Trauma
I know how exhausting it is to live with trauma. How it colors every experience, every relationship, every moment of quiet. How it makes you feel broken, damaged, beyond repair.
I want you to know: You are not broken. You are not beyond help. The pain you carry is real, but it doesn't have to be permanent.
EMDR gave me my life back. Not the life I had before trauma—that was never really mine to begin with. It gave me a life I'd never imagined possible: one where I feel safe in my own body, trust in my own worth, and believe in my capacity to heal and grow.
EMDR didn't just process my trauma—it gave me back my humanity. It returned my sense of safety, possibility, and connection. Twenty years of pain transformed into wisdom, strength, and purpose.
If you're struggling with trauma, please consider EMDR. It might just change your life the way it changed mine.