Can EMDR Help Even If You Don’t Remember the Trauma?
When people think of trauma therapy, they often assume that remembering the traumatic event is a necessary part of healing. But what if you don’t remember? Whether due to childhood amnesia, dissociation, or the brain’s natural defense mechanisms, many people struggle with unclear or missing memories of painful experiences. This is a question my clients ask me a lot of the time, so I thought a blog post would be a great opportunity to respond. If this sounds familiar, you may wonder: Can EMDR Therapy still help?
The short answer is yes. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is designed to help people process and heal from trauma—even when the details are hazy or missing. One of the EMDR Therapy benefits is that it uses proven trauma therapy techniques that focus on processing trauma without memory. Instead of relying on explicit memories, EMDR works with the emotions, sensations, and negative beliefs that are still present in your mind and body. This makes it a powerful option for dissociative amnesia treatment and other trauma recovery strategies.
Trauma Lives in the Body, Not Just the Memory
Trauma isn’t only stored in narrative memory. It can be imprinted in the nervous system through bodily sensations, emotional reactions, and implicit memory networks. You might not remember what happened, but you may experience:
Unexplained anxiety or panic
Strong emotional reactions to certain people, places, or situations
Chronic tension, pain, or fatigue
Negative core beliefs about yourself (e.g., “I’m not safe,” “I’m not enough”)
If any of this resonates, know that you’re not alone. EMDR helps by gently guiding your brain to reprocess these stored experiences, even when you don’t have a clear memory of what caused them.
How Does EMDR Work Without a Clear Memory?
In EMDR Therapy, you don’t need to fully remember a traumatic event to experience relief. Instead, your therapist will help you:
Focus on a distressing emotion, body sensation, or negative belief
Identify a vague or symbolic memory fragment (such as an image, feeling, or dream)
Use bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or sound) to help your brain reprocess stored trauma
As you go through this process, new insights, emotions, or memories may emerge, allowing your brain to make sense of past experiences and lessen their emotional charge. This can bring a profound sense of relief, even if you never retrieve a full memory of the event.
The Power of the Present Moment
Another approach in EMDR Therapy is targeting present-day triggers. If a specific situation causes an intense reaction, it often links back to an unprocessed past experience. By working on current emotional responses, EMDR Therapy can indirectly heal older wounds—even if the earlier related memories remain unclear.
How to Start Your EMDR Journey
A lack of memory doesn’t mean a lack of healing. EMDR Therapy offers a powerful way to work through trauma that isn’t fully remembered but is still felt. If you find yourself struggling with overwhelming emotions, intrusive reactions, or self-doubt, EMDR Therapy may be an effective path to relief and resolution.
If you're curious about how EMDR Therapy might work for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to our intake coordinator to get scheduled with one of our wonderful, trained EMDR therapists. We’d love to support you on your healing journey.
Warmly,
Helene Bringsli, AMFT
