Learn About Trauma and EMDR Therapy

PTSD is a brain and nervous-system injury that can follow overwhelming events, leading to intrusive memories, avoidance, hyperarousal, and shifts in mood and beliefs. This page explains signs, causes, and evidence-based treatments, including how EMDR helps the brain process and heal.

C-PTSD stems from prolonged or repeated trauma and often includes PTSD symptoms plus difficulties with emotion regulation, negative self-beliefs, and relationships. This page outlines signs, origins, and treatments, including how attachment-informed EMDR supports healing.

Childhood trauma can interfere with the development of secure attachment. Learn how attachment styles shape adult relationships, emotional intimacy, and recurring patterns. This guide explains the four main attachment styles and how therapy can support healthier connection.

EMDR therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy used to help people process traumatic memories and reduce trauma-related distress. This page explains how EMDR works, its phases, and when it is used in clinical practice.

EMDR leverages the power of neuroplasticity and memory reconsolidation by facilitating safe exposure to traumatic memories during bilateral stimulation (BLS). Learn how this process acts on key areas of the brain impacted by traumatic events.

If you’re considering EMDR therapy, it’s natural to feel curious or even a bit apprehensive about what to expect. This guide will walk you through the typical structure of an EMDR session, helping you feel prepared and confident as you begin your journey to healing.

While timelines for recovery vary, research gives some fairly consistent expectations. In this article we discuss the factors that affect readiness to begin EMDR and how long it can take to achieve significant results.

Learn how EMDR can treat complex trauma and CPTSD, what makes it different from single-incident PTSD, how clinicians adapt pacing and target selection, and what research says about stabilization and outcomes.

This page explains when EMDR therapy may need to be delayed, adapted, or approached with additional preparation rather than used immediately. It focuses on readiness, safety, and clinical judgment, not on rigid rules or contraindications.

This page explains why EMDR therapy can stall or feel ineffective even when it’s appropriate. It focuses on how to interpret stalled progress clearly and accurately, and adjust, without assuming personal failure or that EMDR is the wrong treatment.

Explore the spectrum of dissociative disorders, including DID, OSDD, DPDR, and Dissociative Amnesia, through clear, research-based summaries. Each summary integrates DSM-5-TR definitions with trauma-informed, phase-oriented approaches to healing and recovery.

PTSD and addiction often reinforce each other through shared nervous system pathways. This page explains why treating one alone can fall short and what research suggests actually supports recovery.

Depression and anxiety often co-occur after trauma due to shared nervous system responses. This page explains how trauma shapes these patterns and why sequencing and regulation matter.

Can EMDR be used when dissociation is present? This guide explains when EMDR is appropriate, how it’s adapted for dissociative symptoms, and why pacing and preparation matter.

This guide explains the Six Pillars: nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, social support, and reducing toxins, that help regulate the nervous system. Strengthening these foundations supports EMDR therapy for deeper, more sustainable trauma healing.

Nutrition for trauma recovery emphasizes the role of balanced, nutrient-dense eating in stabilizing the nervous system, supporting the gut-brain axis, and mitigating trauma-induced physiological stress. By prioritizing whole foods, healthy fats, fiber, and consistent meals, survivors can create a stronger biological foundation for emotional healing and long-term wellness.

This article explains how physical movement serves as a foundational pillar in trauma recovery by supporting nervous-system regulation, reducing inflammation, and promoting neuroplasticity. Learn how exercise can complement trauma-focused therapy, helping survivors reconnect with their bodies and build physical and emotional resilience.

This article explores how trauma often disrupts sleep, causing insomnia, nightmares, and fragmented rest, which in turn interferes with emotional regulation and memory processing. Restoring sleep through trauma-informed sleep hygiene and supportive treatment can help stabilize the nervous system and make long-term PTSD recovery more possible.

This article explores how chronic stress and hyper-arousal can worsen PTSD symptoms, interfere with emotional regulation, and keep the nervous system locked in “survival mode.” It outlines trauma-informed stress-management strategies, from grounding and breathwork to lifestyle adjustments, that help calm the nervous system and support long-term recovery.

This article shows how building safe, supportive relationships and community connections provides essential emotional stabilization for trauma survivors. Establishing social support, through trusted relationships, healthy boundaries, and safe environments, helps regulate the nervous system, reduce isolation, and create a foundation for lasting PTSD recovery.

This article explains how using drugs, alcohol, or other coping behaviors to numb trauma symptoms may offer temporary relief, but often worsens PTSD over time by reinforcing avoidance, disrupting regulation, and increasing risk of dependence. It outlines why self-medication rarely heals the root of trauma and how integrated treatment supports sustainable recovery.