How EMDR Therapy can Help Your Brain Heal
How EMDR Therapy Helps Your Brain Heal
When you go through something really hard — like trauma, loss, or grief — it can feel like your brain and heart are stuck. You might think, “Why can’t I just get over this?” or “Why does this still hurt so much?”
Here’s the truth: nothing is wrong with you. Your brain is simply overwhelmed, and it needs help processing what happened.
This is exactly why EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is so helpful. As a trauma therapist and EMDR therapist for grief, I help people every day understand what is happening in their brains and how to heal. So let’s break things down:
What Trauma and Grief Do to Your Brain
When something scary, painful, or confusing happens — like losing someone you love, going through abuse, or dealing with a big life change — your brain switches into “survival mode.”
This is a normal reaction. Your brain is trying to protect you.
But sometimes, the event is too big or too painful, and your brain can’t file it away like a normal memory. Instead, it gets stuck.
You may notice things like:
Feeling anxious or on edge
Getting mad or sad very quickly
Trouble focusing
Feeling numb, tired, or “shut down”
Having flashbacks or strong reminders
Feeling like you’re always bracing for something bad
Tears appearing out of nowhere
This isn’t because you’re “weak.”
It’s more likely because your brain couldn’t finish its job of processing the event.
The good news?
Your brain can heal this process is called Neuroplasticity — and EMDR helps it do that.
What Is Neuroplasticity? (Easy Explanation)
You may have heard the word neuroplasticity, but let’s make it super simple:
Neuroplasticity means your brain can change, heal, and grow new connections — even after trauma.
Your brain isn’t stuck the way it is right now.
It can learn new things.
It can calm old memories.
It can form healthier pathways.
Think of your brain like a road map:
A trauma memory is like a broken road with potholes.
You keep getting stuck there because the road isn’t safe.
Neuroplasticity lets your brain build a new, safer road.
EMDR is the tool that helps your brain build that road faster and stronger.
This is why so many people say EMDR feels like “my brain finally let go” or “I can think about the memory without falling apart.”
What Is EMDR, and Why Does It Work So Well?
EMDR therapy is a clinically proven and evidence based therapy. It is the golden standard for trauma therapy because it basically helps your brain reprocess painful memories so they don’t hurt as much anymore.
During EMDR, your therapist helps you do three things at the same time:
Think about a painful memory in small pieces
Stay grounded and safe in the present
Use bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or sounds that alternate from left to right- our office uses audio sounds for this)
This helps both sides of your brain talk to each other, which makes it easier to digest the memory.
Think of EMDR like this:
You have a messy closet (the trauma memory).
Every time you open it, everything falls on you.
EMDR helps your brain:
Open the closet slowly
Go through what’s inside
Put things in the right place
Close the door without fear
The memory doesn’t disappear — but it stops hurting the same way. To learn more about EMDR itself check out this BLOG all about the 8 phases of EMDR.
How EMDR Uses Your Brain’s Neuroplasticity to Heal Trauma
Here’s where science and healing meet in a beautiful way.
Research from EMDRIA and brain-scan studies show that EMDR changes how your brain responds to stress and painful memories.
Here’s what often happens to our brains during EMDR:
1. The fear center calms down
Overtime the amygdala — the part that says “I’m in danger!” — becomes less reactive.
This means fewer panic responses, less anxiety, and fewer emotional storms.
2. The thinking center gets stronger
The prefrontal cortex — the part that helps you problem-solve and stay calm — grows stronger because it is engaged while processing past distress and trauma. .
EMDR clients often report thinking more clearly and feeling more in control.
3. The memory center organizes the pain
The hippocampus helps place the memory in the “past where it belongs.”
Instead of the memory feeling like it’s happening right now, EMDR lets it become “something that happened back then.”
4. New, healthier neuropathways form (that’s neuroplasticity!)
Your brain literally rewires itself.
This helps you:
Feel safer
Feel calmer
React differently
Heal emotionally
This is why EMDR is so powerful for both trauma and grief therapy.
How EMDR Helps With Grief
Grief is not “just sadness.”
Grief is a full-body, full-brain experience.
Sometimes you’re crying.
Sometimes you’re numb.
Sometimes you’re angry.
Sometimes you feel guilty or confused.
Sometimes you feel nothing at all.
EMDR helps your brain:
Process the shock of loss
Heal guilt or “what ifs”
Reduce emotional flooding
Make space for memories without pain
Let your nervous system rest
Understand the loss in a healthier way
You don’t “get over” someone you love.
But you can get to a place where the pain softens and the memories feel more peaceful.
You Are Not Broken — Your Brain Just Needs Support
This part is important, so I’ll say it clearly:
If you are dealing with trauma, anxiety, or grief, you are not broken.
Your brain is simply doing the best it can with what happened to you.
You deserve support, safety, and guidance — not shame or pressure to “move on.”
With EMDR and the power of neuroplasticity, your brain can heal. Your story can change.
And you can feel hopeful again.
What You Might Notice After EMDR Sessions
Most people begin to feel:
calmer
lighter
less overwhelmed
more confident
more grounded
more hopeful
more supported inside their own body
Many clients say:
“I can breathe again.”
“The memory doesn’t control me anymore.”
“I feel like myself again.”
“I finally feel safe.”
This is neuroplasticity at work — your brain changing in real time.
How to Begin EMDR Therapy With Me
If you’re looking for:
an EMDR therapist for grief
trauma therapy in Tampa
anxiety therapy near me
someone who understands PTSD, neuroscience
gentle, trauma-informed support
…I’m here to walk with you.
I do offer a free 10-minute phone consultation to answer your questions and help you take the next step toward healing.
You don’t have to do this alone. Your healing matters. Let’s talk!
- Ciara Helm, LCSW
Owner of Hopeful Heart Counseling
*All content is for educational purposes and is not intended as formal therapy.
