The Science Behind EMDR: How It Helps Rewire the Brain
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a unique, evidence-based therapy that has become popular in the last several years for how effective it is in treating trauma. Still, many people are unclear about how EMDR actually works—especially when it comes to the science behind it. Here are the neurological underpinnings of EMDR and how this therapy helps rewire the brain after trauma.
What Is EMDR?
Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR was initially designed to help people process traumatic memories. The core idea behind EMDR is that trauma can get “stuck” in the brain’s information processing system. When this happens, the memory doesn’t get stored like a regular memory—it remains vivid, emotionally charged, and disruptive. EMDR helps “unstick” these memories, which allows the brain to reprocess and store them in a healthier way.
The therapy involves eight phases, including history-taking, preparation, assessment, and reprocessing. During reprocessing, clients recall traumatic events (or how they felt during the traumatic experience). At the same time, they engage in bilateral stimulation—most commonly through guided eye movements, but sometimes through tapping or auditory tones. This dual attention task is where the brain begins to shift.
The Brain and Trauma
To understand how EMDR works, it helps to first look at how trauma affects the brain. When we experience a traumatic event, the brain’s normal information-processing system can become overwhelmed. The amygdala (our fear center) goes into overdrive, and the hippocampus (responsible for contextualizing memories) can’t do its job effectively. As a result, traumatic memories often don’t get integrated into the brain’s larger autobiographical memory network.
Instead of being filed away as a past event, the memory remains “live,” and any trigger can cause the brain to react as if the trauma is happening all over again. This is why trauma survivors may experience flashbacks, panic attacks, or intrusive thoughts, even years after the event.
How EMDR Helps Rewire the Brain
Research using neuroimaging and EEG studies has shown that EMDR can help shift brain activity from the amygdala to the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for rational thought and emotional regulation. Here’s how EMDR facilitates that shift:
Bilateral Stimulation and Memory Integration
During EMDR, the client focuses on a distressing memory while simultaneously going through bilateral stimulation. This process appears to mimic aspects of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the phase of sleep when the brain naturally processes and integrates information. REM sleep is when we consolidate many of our memories, and EMDR may tap into similar neural mechanisms to help reprocess traumatic material.
Decreasing Amygdala Activation
Studies have shown that EMDR reduces activity in the amygdala. This decrease in fear response allows clients to revisit traumatic memories without becoming emotionally overwhelmed, which is a key component of successful trauma processing.
Enhancing Connectivity in the Brain
Functional MRI (fMRI) studies suggest that EMDR strengthens connections between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, which are regions involved in memory and emotional regulation. By boosting communication between these areas, EMDR helps the brain file the traumatic memory away properly.
The Real Effects of EMDR
For many people affected by trauma, EMDR leads to lasting change. Clients often report that after EMDR, traumatic memories feel “distant” or “just like any other memory.” The emotional intensity fades, and the memory loses its power to hijack the nervous system. EMDR has been shown to be effective not only for PTSD but also for anxiety, depression, phobias, and even chronic pain.
Finding an EMDR Therapist
If you’ve been struggling with traumatic memories intruding in your life and other therapies haven’t worked, reach out to us today. After a consultation, we can discuss a treatment plan that works for you. Healing isn’t about forgetting the trauma—it’s about freeing the brain from being stuck in survival mode.
