Childhood trauma can shape your adult life in distinct ways— once you are aware of and ones you may not even realize. Unresolved, unprocessed, and unhealed experiences from early years often show up later as anxiety, low self-worth, difficulty trusting and being vulnerable in relationships, and even physical symptoms.
If you’ve gone through a traumatic event in childhood— or a series of traumatic events— it doesn’t just stay in the past, no matter how deeply you’ve buried the memories inside of you. Instead, traumatic memories are stored in the body and nervous system.
These memories continue to shape how you feel, think, see the world, and relate to others. Your brain and body work hard to protect you from further hurt or traumatization.
There are several mental health treatments that help people who have experienced trauma work toward healing. One of the most effective and research-based is EMDR—Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy.
In this post, we’ll focus on how EMDR for childhood trauma works and how it might help you. Whether you’ve tried other therapies before or are just beginning your healing journey, this post will give you valuable information to help you decide if EMDR therapy could support you in your healing and growth.
EMDR For Childhood Trauma
Understanding what childhood trauma is and how it continues to affect your life helps you consider whether EMDR is a good fit. Many people don’t realize their current symptoms and discomforts come from earlier traumatic experiences. Present-day situations may activate these responses, but the emotional charge often traces back to deeper roots in the psyche.
The good news: trauma therapy doesn’t require talking through every painful detail. EMDR offers a different way to treat trauma. EMDR for childhood trauma organizes your memories, focuses on small, manageable pieces, and helps your brain and body release and reprocess what has been stuck.
This post will walk you through:
- What childhood trauma is
- How EMDR therapy works
- What to expect during EMDR for childhood trauma
- How to prepare for therapy
As a relational therapist that uses EMDR as a tool with my clients, I put together this guide to support you in taking the next step and determining the right course of action for you.
What Is Childhood Trauma?
Childhood trauma includes events that overwhelm a child’s sense of safety in the world and connection to those who keep them safe (i.e., attachment figures). These traumatic experiences often stem from disruptions in the bonds children rely on for emotional security.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include abuse, neglect, bullying, witnessing violence, or losing a caregiver. Less obvious experiences—like frequent criticism, emotional neglect, or being left to manage big feelings alone—also deeply impact a child’s developing nervous system. During these years, the body actively learns how to manage safety and threat. It wires itself to keep the child—and later, the adult—as safe as possible in the world.
Importantly, trauma is not just the painful event itself. Trauma refers to how the mind and nervous system process the experience. When a child lacks consistent support to make sense of what’s happening, the brain does not fully process the event. These experiences then remain stuck in the body and mind.
The brain stores traumatic memories differently. It doesn’t file them away like typical memories. Instead, these memories stay “active” and frozen in time. They often surface through intense emotions, body sensations, and intrusive thoughts—especially in close relationships where attachment needs and betrayal memories become easily activated.
Signs Of Childhood Trauma
Unresolved trauma from childhood can lead to:
- Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety or depression (refer to EMDR for anxiety and EMDR for depression)
- Trouble trusting others
- People-pleasing or perfectionism
- Dissociation or emotional numbness
- Physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, or stomach issues
These responses aren’t character flaws or defects in the brain. They are adaptations developed in response to an unsafe situation. They form to protect the child when faced with danger and devoid of help to get through it.
EMDR helps gently reprocess these stuck responses so they have less control over how you relate to others, see the world, and feel about yourself.
What Is EMDR For Childhood Trauma?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of therapy researchers developed in the late 1980s (check out this book if you’re interested in a deep dive!).
The method helps people recover from trauma without reliving every detail. EMDR works by guiding the brain to reprocess stuck traumatic memories so they no longer carry such an emotional charge that they lead to avoidance, suppression, or other mental health symptoms.
During reprocessing EMDR therapy, the therapist uses bilateral stimulation (often eye movements, tapping, or sounds) to help you process traumatic experiences. This method activates both sides of the brain, keeping one foot in the safety of the present as you access the memory of the past. This allows your nervous system to connect the memory to new, adaptive beliefs and experiences.
Researchers have studied EMDR in many controlled trials and widely recommend it for treating trauma, including childhood trauma and stress disorder PTSD. EMDR works for a wide range of mental health symptoms and helps reduce the emotional charge of past experiences.
Does EMDR Work for Childhood Trauma?
It Targets the Root, Not Just the Symptoms
Unlike talk therapy that focuses on managing symptoms, EMDR uncovers to the core of the issue. It helps your brain rewire how traumatic experiences are stored so that you can experience relief even after you leave the therapy process.
EMDR Works Without Overwhelming You
People often worry they’ll have to relive their pain. But EMDR is designed to keep you grounded as you process memories.
Before you move into the reprocessing part of therapy when you access your memories, you learn and practice grounding skills to prevent your system from becoming overwhelmed.
You Don’t Have to Talk in Detail
EMDR is unique in that you don’t need to describe the entire traumatic event out loud or in detail. Instead, you recall pieces of your memories and choose which aspects you’d like to name and share with your therapist.
This can feel safer, especially for people who’ve never told anyone about their childhood experiences.
Research-Backed Results
While the approach is relatively modern, desensitization and reprocessing EMDR has been studied in many controlled trials.
Research supports its effectiveness in reducing symptoms of PTSD and other trauma-related issues.
It Can Lead to Lasting Change
Many people report long-term relief from symptoms after completing EMDR. They feel calmer, more connected to themselves and others, and more able to live in the present.
You’ll Build Coping Skills
In addition to working through old memories that may be nagging at you in stressful ways, you will also build skills to cope and regulate your nervous system (e.g., polyvagal theory, guided imagery, etc.).
These skills will support you not only in trauma therapy but in your life overall as you continue to manage the stress and anxiety of modern living.
What Happens During EMDR Therapy for Childhood Trauma?
Starting EMDR therapy can feel uncertain at first. However, the structure of the method will help you feel supported every step of the way. You may work with a therapist for several sessions on practicing skills and building trust and rapport before you actually move into the depths of the trauma work.
Here’s what clients often notice and experience as they move through the process:
You Build Trust and Safety First
In early sessions, you won’t be asked to dive into painful memories right off the bat. Instead, you and your therapist will focus on building a foundation of trust. Your therapist will get to know you as a full human— not only your trauma story.
You’ll also learn tools that help you feel grounded like calming visualizations or breathwork. Many clients describe this phase as a gentle introduction to the work ahead.
You Start to Notice Patterns and Triggers
As you and your therapist talk through your experiences, you may begin to notice how certain memories, feelings, or body sensations are linked to current challenges.
This part of the process can bring clarity to things that once felt confusing or chaotic, which in itself can feel healing.
You Process Old Memories Without Reliving Them
When you’re ready, you’ll begin working with specific memories. Your therapist will guide you to focus on a memory while using bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping). You’ll track eye movements across a screen while you recall the memory in order to desensitize and reprocess.
You don’t need to share every detail out loud. Many clients are surprised by how memories begin to shift and lose intensity on their own, once the memories are unburied and brought into the present.
You Experience Emotional Shifts
During and after reprocessing, you might feel waves of emotion like grief, anger, relief, or calm. This completely normal. Your system releasing what it’s held.
Over time, painful memories begin to feel less charged. Clients often say they feel lighter, more clear-headed, or more emotionally present.
You Replace Old Beliefs with New, Supportive Ones
As the intensity of a memory fades, your mind naturally starts to adopt more adaptive beliefs. For example, a belief like “I’m not safe” may shift to “I can protect myself now.” The therapist also uses techniques to help your brain strengthen the association of these positive beliefs.
Clients often feel more empowered and self-compassionate during this part of the work.
Greater Awareness of Your Body
You may start to notice body sensations (e.g., tightness, heat, or calm) associated with past experiences. Through counseling, learn how emotions are communicated through your body and build greater self and body awareness.
Your therapist will help you track and soothe these sensations. This part of EMDR for childhood trauma deepens healing on a physical level and helps you feel more connected to yourself.
You End Each Session By Grounding
Each session ends with time to regroup. You and your therapist will use grounding tools to help you leave feeling settled before you move back into your day-to-day.
Clients often appreciate this closure—it helps them re-enter daily life with more stability. Your therapist will also guide you in what to expect between sessions and how to handle between session discomfort.
You Notice Changes in Daily Life
Between sessions, you may find yourself reacting differently to stress, communicating more clearly, or feeling more emotionally steady. These shifts can be subtle at first but tend to build over time. Many clients feel more present in their relationships and more at ease in their bodies.
EMDR therapy moves at your pace. The goal isn’t to push through pain. Instead, it’s to help you process what’s been stuck, with support, so healing can unfold naturally.
How to Prepare for EMDR Therapy for Childhood Trauma
Find An Experienced EMDR Therapist
Finding an EMDR therapist who understands childhood trauma is essential. Look for someone trained in movement desensitization and reprocessing with experience in childhood trauma therapy for adults.
You may consider the EMDRIA (EMDR’s accrediting body) directory or search the internet for a provider in your area. For inquiries about EMDR therapy with my practice, reach out below!
Build Emotional Safety
Before starting reprocessing EMDR therapy, it’s important to build a foundation of safety. Learn and practice grounding techniques, and make sure you feel comfortable with your therapist.
Your therapist will walk you through these steps. Make sure to give them honest feedback about how you are feeling throughout the process.
Set Realistic Expectations
Healing takes time. Consider the intensity of painful memories combined with the amount of time your body has learned to carry it. You may be rewiring decades of old patterns as a result of the trauma.
Still, EMDR can create powerful shifts, but progress isn’t always linear. Be patient with your process.
Prioritize Aftercare
Sessions can bring up intense feelings. Plan time afterward for rest, journaling, movement, or time with loved ones. Let your nervous system integrate the work between sessions.
Be Honest With Your Therapist
Let them know what feels too much, what’s helping, and what’s not. EMDR is collaborative. You are in charge of your healing and therapy should never move faster than you are ready for.
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