EMDR vs. Talk Therapy

Today, many mental health experts recognize the limits of talk therapy in treating trauma.  The reason: Talk therapy engages the cerebral cortex, the part of our brain dedicated to logic, reasoning, and executive functioning. Trauma, however, becomes “stuck” in the deeper parts of our brain, where emotion and body-based responses reign. Traumatic memories are stored in flashes and fragments; while they may be triggered by sights, smells, and sounds, these memories may still be inaccessible through talking, reasoning, or thinking.

For this reason, many clients choose EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help them reprocess traumatic memories at a deeper, neurological, and subconscious level—where the trauma actually “lives.”

EMDR employs bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping) to activate both the right and left hemispheres of the brain, mimicking REM sleep and helping the brain’s limbic system "digest" unresolved trauma—to reduce reactivity, nightmares, and full-sensory/emotional flashbacks.

While talk therapy often requires long-term exploration to process deep-rooted trauma, EMDR can produce noticeable relief in fewer sessions by directly targeting and reprocessing traumatic experiences—allowing new positive beliefs to integrate organically as the trauma is processed.

In addition, EMDR does not require detailed discussion of trauma or repeated retellings of their trauma story, as with prolonged exposure talk therapy. With EMDR, clients focus on an image, sensation, or belief connected to the trauma while the brain reprocesses the memory internally. This makes EMDR preferable for those who find talking about trauma overwhelming or even retraumatizing.

These are just some of the many reasons that EMDR has enjoyed 34 years of successful evidence-based results, and today is considered the gold standard in trauma treatment.