Is It Bad If You Can’t Remember Trauma During EMDR?

There’s a good chance you’re reading this because you’ve experienced a trauma.

Whatever the exact trauma, cause, or situation, there are a number of different treatments options available. You don’t have to try to get through this on your own.

Maybe you’re looking into therapy for the first time, or maybe you’ve been going to therapy and just looking for additional treatment options.

You may have heard about EMDR therapy before and been interested in trying it out.

The only problem is that you can’t seem to remember every detail associated with your trauma, nor do you really want to.

Is it bad if you can’t remember trauma during EMDR?

What Is EMDR?

First, let’s dive into what EMDR is exactly. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

This type of therapy is used to stimulate the right and left hemispheres of your brain. This process is done with the help of tools like fingers, hands, audio, and buzzers.

There are typically eight phases during an EMDR Therapy session.

• Phase 1 involves gathering history to figure out what needs to be worked on.
• Phase 2 involves learning about the brain and nervous system when you have trauma. This is also when your therapist may teach you about certain relaxation techniques and exercises.
• Phases 3 through 7 are the processing phases. This is one of the main phases of an EMDR session. This is the part of the session where a therapist will have you move your eyes back and forth while asking for feedback on what you may be experiencing.
• And finally, phase 8. The eighth and final phase involves checking in. Your therapist will again work with you to determine if you’re remembering and experiencing your trauma differently compared to how you were before starting the EMDR therapy sessions.

What If You Can’t Remember Trauma During EMDR?

The beginning phases of EMDR therapy can look a lot like traditional talk therapy, at least at first. This doesn’t mean that you have to remember every single detail of your trauma for EMDR therapy to work for you. This type of therapy doesn’t require you to have or to share all the details.

If you can’t remember your trauma during EMDR therapy, that’s okay! That’s actually one of the benefits of EMDR therapy. Even knowing small details about what you experienced will be enough information for a session to work for you.

Instead of diving into your past and bringing memories to the surface again, EMDR therapy looks at the memory and how you’re experiencing it in the present day. EMDR therapy is a great way to help you decrease any negative thoughts or emotions that may be related to that memory.

The Benefits of EMDR

EMDR therapy has a number of different benefits.

One of the main benefits for those who experience trauma is the fact that you don’t necessarily have to remember the trauma for this type of therapy to work.

No matter the exact trauma, the traumatic event can change someone’s life each day after. This can affect the way that someone thinks or feels about themselves. EMDR therapy is a great tool to allow someone to be more positive and self-assured again.

Trauma typically involves several different symptoms and signs that someone may be living with day in and day out. EMDR can help reduce these signs and symptoms.

Another benefit of EMDR therapy is gaining a new perspective on events that took place in your past. It helps you find a release for those negative thoughts and feelings, which can create room for positive new experiences to take place.

Next Steps

If you’re interested in EMDR therapy, reach out to us today to set up an appointment. We can help you get back to living your life to the fullest again.