How EMDR Works for Forgotten Trauma
Trauma has a way of embedding itself deep within the mind, sometimes in ways we can’t even consciously recall. Many people carry the weight of traumatic experiences they don’t fully remember. This often manifests as anxiety, depression, or unexplained emotional triggers. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic approach designed to help people process and heal from trauma — even trauma that’s been repressed or forgotten.
Understanding Forgotten Trauma
Trauma doesn’t always stay in our conscious awareness. Some experiences get stored in implicit memory instead. This means they affect emotions and behaviors without a clear recollection. This is particularly common in cases of childhood neglect, abuse, or other overwhelming experiences where the brain’s survival mechanisms prevent full processing of the event. These traumas get stored in fragmented, unprocessed ways and often resurface unexpectedly.
People experiencing forgotten trauma may have unexplained fears, difficulty with trust, or patterns of emotional reactivity they can’t seem to understand. They might experience flashbacks in the form of bodily sensations or emotional states rather than clear, narrative memories.
How EMDR Addresses Forgotten Trauma
EMDR is based on the understanding that unprocessed traumatic memories continue to affect a person’s mental health long after any danger has passed. This trauma therapy approach uses bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements, auditory tones, or tapping) to help the brain reprocess these memories in a healthier way. Here’s how EMDR can work for forgotten trauma:
Identifying emotional and physical triggers
Because forgotten trauma may not come with clear memories, an EMDR therapist often begins by exploring distressing emotions, body sensations, or negative self-beliefs. These clues help identify potential underlying traumatic experiences.
Accessing implicit memory
EMDR does not need the full recollection of a traumatic event to be effective. The therapy engages the brain’s natural healing process as the client’s emotions, body sensations, and fragmented memories come to the surface. Through EMDR’s structured phases, clients begin to connect these pieces in a way that helps them process their implicit memories.
Reprocessing trauma
Once a distressing experience is activated, bilateral stimulation helps the brain reorganize and reintegrate the memory. Instead of remaining a raw, unprocessed emotional wound, the traumatic material becomes less distressing and more manageable over time.
Reframing negative beliefs
Many people with forgotten trauma hold unconscious negative beliefs about themselves, such as “I am not lovable” or “I cannot trust myself.” EMDR helps replace these deeply ingrained beliefs with healthier, more empowering ones.
Strengthening emotional resilience
After reprocessing distressing memories, EMDR works to reinforce positive self-concepts and coping strategies. This allows clients to feel more control over their emotional and psychological responses to stress.
The Benefits of EMDR for Forgotten Trauma
One of the most powerful aspects of EMDR is that it does not require clients to fully remember or articulate their traumatic experiences since they can focus on emotions and bodily sensations instead. This makes it especially effective for individuals with fragmented or suppressed memories. Because EMDR relies on the brain’s ability to heal itself, many clients feel relief from their symptoms even when they cannot consciously recall specific traumatic events. EMDR helps people:
Reduce emotional distress linked to unknown trauma
Increase self-awareness and insight into emotional response patterns
Strengthen their sense of safety and self-trust
Improve their emotional regulation and coping mechanisms
Break free from patterns of fear, shame, and self-doubt
Is EMDR Right for You?
If you struggle with unexplainable emotions related to triggers you don’t fully understand, anxiety, or patterns of self-sabotage, EMDR might be a path forward. Schedule a consultation with us today to link with a trained EMDR therapist. We’ll help you explore your symptoms and determine whether EMDR fits your needs. Remember, healing from forgotten trauma is possible.
About the Author
Will Dempsey, LICSW, is a mental health therapist and the founder of Heads Held High Counseling, based out of both Boston and Chicago. Will is a gender-affirming LGBTQ+ practitioner who sees individuals looking to overcome anxiety, depression, and trauma. He often uses EMDR, IFS, CBT, and expressive arts to assist his clients. All sessions are offered exclusively online.
