Therapy for Trauma & PTSD/CPTSD Using EMDR
Trauma can affect how you
think, feel, relate to others, and experience your body. Sometimes the effects show up right away; sometimes they surface later or become more noticeable during periods of stress or change. You don’t need to have a particular diagnosis or be sure that what happened “counts” as trauma to
seek support.
What is Trauma?
Trauma is an experience (or series of experiences) that overwhelms your ability to cope or feel safe. It can include a single event, such as an accident, assault, medical emergency, or sudden loss, or ongoing experiences such as abuse, neglect, discrimination, bullying, or chronic instability.
People respond to trauma in different ways. You might notice changes in your emotions, beliefs, relationships, or sense of safety without having PTSD or CPTSD. You also don’t need to use the word trauma or have a diagnosis to talk about how an experience is affecting you.
An experience does not have to meet someone else’s definition of “serious enough” for its effects to matter. And experiencing trauma does not automatically mean you will develop PTSD or CPTSD. These terms describe different things: trauma refers to an experience and its effects; PTSD and CPTSD describe patterns of symptoms that can develop after trauma.
Trauma-related distress may show up as:
- Feeling unsafe or on guard even when you are not in immediate danger
- Avoiding situations, people, or feelings that bring up difficult memories
- Feeling emotionally overwhelmed, shut down, numb, or disconnected
- Struggling with trust, boundaries, closeness, or asking for help
- Carrying shame, guilt, self-blame, or beliefs that you are broken or powerless
- Noticing physical stress responses, such as tension, a racing heart, nausea, or feeling frozen
- Feeling that past experiences are shaping your choices or relationships now
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after a traumatic event. It involves a particular pattern of symptoms that causes significant distress or makes parts of daily life harder. Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD, and symptoms can begin soon after an event or become noticeable later.
A sound, smell, place, date, or interaction can sometimes act as a reminder. Your body may respond with alarm even when you know that you are in the present and not in the original situation. Avoiding reminders may bring short-term relief, but can also make it difficult to feel more freedom in daily life.
PTSD symptoms are often grouped into four areas:
- Intrusion: Unwanted memories, nightmares, flashbacks, or intense emotional and physical reactions to reminders
- Avoidance: Trying to stay away from thoughts, feelings, people, places, or activities connected to what happened
- Changes in thoughts and mood: Persistent fear, anger, shame, guilt, self-blame, feeling detached, or losing interest in things that used to matter
- Changes in alertness and reactivity: Feeling on guard, easily startled, irritable, tense, or having difficulty sleeping or concentrating
What is CPTSD?
Complex PTSD (CPTSD) is a term for a pattern that includes the core symptoms of PTSD along with ongoing difficulties in areas such as emotion regulation, self-concept, and relationships. It may develop following prolonged or repeated trauma, particularly when escape or safety was difficult, but a person’s history alone does not determine whether CPTSD is the right description.
Along with re-experiencing, avoidance, and feeling on guard, CPTSD may involve:
- Difficulty managing emotions: Emotions may feel intense, hard to settle, or difficult to identify. Some people instead feel numb or shut down.
- A painful view of yourself: You may carry persistent shame, guilt, or beliefs that you are unworthy, damaged, or responsible for what happened.
- Relationship difficulties: Trust, closeness, boundaries, conflict, or asking for support may feel especially difficult or unsafe.
- Feeling disconnected: You may feel distant from other people, your emotions, or your sense of who you are.
Around 70% of people worldwide experience at least one traumatic event during their lifetime.
Learn More About PTSD from the World Health Organization
Common questions about therapy
What if I don't think what happened to me was “bad enough” to be trauma?
You do not have to compare your experiences to someone else's or prove that they were severe enough to deserve attention. Sometimes people minimize experiences because they survived them, because they happened a long time ago, or because someone else “had it worse.” We can focus on how the experience affects you now rather than whether it fits a particular label.
Can trauma affect me even if I don't think about what happened very often?
Yes. Sometimes the effects of an experience show up less through conscious memories and more through triggers, avoidance, emotional reactions, body responses, relationship patterns, beliefs about yourself, or feeling unsafe in situations that logically seem safe.
Why do I sometimes have reactions that feel bigger than what is actually happening?
Your response may be connected to more than the situation directly in front of you. Present-day experiences can activate emotions, beliefs, memories, or body responses associated with previous experiences. Part of therapy can involve understanding these connections and helping the present feel more separate from the past.
Do I have to talk about everything that happened to me?
No. Trauma therapy does not require you to immediately tell your entire story in detail. We work collaboratively and intentionally, and you have control over what you share. Treatment can begin with understanding what is happening now, developing resources, and determining what you actually want to work on.
What does trauma therapy with you actually look like?
Treatment is individualized rather than following one formula. We may work on understanding triggers, emotional and body responses, avoidance, protective patterns, relationship difficulties, or beliefs about yourself. Depending on your needs, I may incorporate CBT, IFS, somatic strategies, and EMDR to address both present-day patterns and experiences that continue to affect you.
Can EMDR be done through telehealth?
Yes. EMDR can be provided through telehealth when it is clinically appropriate. Bilateral stimulation can be adapted for virtual sessions using methods such as self-tapping, guided eye movements, or digital tools. We will determine whether virtual EMDR is appropriate for your needs and establish a plan for completing sessions safely from your location.
What if I don't remember parts of my childhood or past clearly?
You do not need a perfectly detailed or chronological memory of your past to begin therapy. We work with what you actually remember and experience without trying to force memories or fill in missing information. Present-day triggers, emotions, beliefs, and body responses can also provide important information about what needs attention.
Can EMDR help with negative beliefs about myself?
Negative beliefs such as “I'm not good enough,” “I'm unsafe,” “It's my fault,” “I have to be perfect,” or “I'm responsible for everyone” can become connected to past experiences. EMDR may be used to process experiences associated with those beliefs and support the development of beliefs that feel more adaptive in the present.
What if I want EMDR but don't want ongoing weekly therapy?
EMDR can sometimes be provided in an intensive format, where longer sessions allow more time for preparation and reprocessing than a traditional therapy hour. Whether an EMDR intensive or ongoing therapy is the better fit depends on what you want to address, your current stability, and your individual treatment needs.
Will EMDR make me relive my trauma?
EMDR involves intentionally accessing aspects of distressing experiences, but the goal is not to make you relive an event as though it is happening again. We prepare before reprocessing, monitor how you are responding throughout the session, and work at a pace that considers your ability to remain engaged in the process.