Let’s talk about what trauma actually is.
The word comes from the Greek language, meaning “wound” or “hurt”—and that’s exactly what it is: a psychological wound. Trauma happens when something overwhelms your ability to cope, usually because it feels life-threatening in some way. That might look like a single event—something sudden and acute, like a physical assault, a house fire, or a natural disaster. But more often, it’s not just one thing. It’s multiple experiences that pile up over time, like childhood neglect, sexual abuse by a caregiver, growing up in a home with alcoholic parents, or being in an abusive relationship. And here’s the truth: complexity is the norm. Everyone’s story is layered.
Trauma impacts your nervous system—it’s not just in your mind. It shows up in real, physical ways through fight, flight, freeze, or shut-down responses. And when trauma gets triggered, you don’t just remember what happened—you relive it. That’s especially true in complex PTSD, where the mind often does all kinds of mental gymnastics to protect the attachments that felt essential to survival. So even if you think, “But I had a good childhood,” your body might tense up every time you visit your parents. That’s your nervous system telling the truth, even when your mind can’t—or won’t. Dissociating from your body, losing touch with your emotions, or even having memory gaps—those can all be part of how you survived.
This is where EMDR comes in. It’s one of the most powerful tools for working with trauma because it helps your brain and body reprocess those past experiences in a way that actually feels safe. Instead of getting stuck in the loop of re-living trauma, EMDR gives your nervous system a chance to do what it couldn’t do at the time—fully process, integrate, and move forward. It’s not about erasing the past—it’s about changing your relationship to it so you can live more freely in the present.