Rewiring the Nervous System: How EMDR Helps Release Emotional Triggers

We often talk about the mind-body connection, which is a very useful term but one that doesn’t fully do justice to what it describes. From a holistic health perspective, the mind and body aren’t just connected, they’re actually inseparable. 

The nervous system is constantly translating our emotional experiences into the physical, and emotional stress and trauma can become held and stuck within the body, creating a cascade of physiological effects. 

At the functional medicine telehealth center, so many of my patients with chronic inflammatory, autoimmune, digestive, and other illnesses are carrying layers of unresolved trauma in their systems, and this is no coincidence. 

One of the most powerful therapies in helping people address nervous system dysregulation and stuck stress, emotions, or trauma is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). 

What Is EMDR Therapy? 

EMDR is a therapeutic approach that involves processing past trauma by using guided eye movements to retrain the nervous system. 

This approach was first developed by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., in the 1980s for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it’s now a first-line treatment recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychological Association (APA), the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, and many international organizations. 

EMDR is one of the most research-backed therapies available for trauma disorders, with more than 30 randomized clinical trials supporting its effectiveness for PTSD in both adults and children. (1) It has also been studied for depression, anxiety, and chronic pain conditions related to trauma. 

It’s based on the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which theorizes that our bodies have an innate ability to process, heal, and adapt from experiences and emotional wounds, but that in cases of trauma or overwhelm, this process can be disrupted, and memories can become stuck or improperly stored. (2) 

EMDR helps to release these stuck memories, allowing them to be processed and integrated in a healthy way. This is done through bilateral stimulation, which is the activation of both hemispheres of the brain. A therapist guides you through a process in which you follow a movement or sound that moves from left to right, while consciously remembering a traumatic event. 

These guided eye movements help to rewire neural pathways and change the way we experience our previously stuck memories. 

Trauma and the Body: How Memories and Emotions Get Stuck

There are several different ways in which trauma affects the nervous system and the rest of the body. 

During everyday life, the brain stores our memories and, importantly, builds connections between them. Our brains are also built to naturally heal from psychological and emotional stress, similar to the way our bodies heal from physical injuries. 

But during traumatic events or periods of severe or prolonged stress, these processes can become interrupted. The brain essentially gets stuck in the moment and fails to integrate what’s happened, which means that we fail to heal from it. 

Instead of being filed away in our regular long-term storage, memories themselves can become stuck, with faulty neural connections being made that cause us to essentially relive the traumatic moment over and over again, often in response to seemingly minor triggers or conditions that are actually safe. 

And because we haven’t healed, our bodies often don’t realize that the danger has passed. We haven’t received the signals that we’re safe. When we don’t get the message that we’re safe, the stress or survival response can become chronic, keeping us locked in the “fight or flight” state. 

This shows up in different ways for different people. Some people become more anxious, hypervigilant, and always on alert. Others switch “off” and become numb or detached from emotions because of overwhelm. 

This nervous system dysregulation manifests itself in many physiological and biomedical ways as well. (3) Chronic stress can lead to digestive distress and gut imbalances, chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalance, immune system dysfunction, brain fog, fatigue, and irritability, as a few examples. It’s often a key driving factor behind mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and autoimmune conditions. 

The Science of Reprocessing: How EMDR Works

EMDR works with the brain’s built-in healing mechanisms, giving the nervous system a chance to finish consolidating and processing memories and emotions that were previously left unresolved.

As discussed above, memories can become “stuck” in the emotional center of the brain (the limbic system) during intensely stressful or traumatic moments, instead of being processed and filed away in long-term storage. EMDR helps to restart the process that was interrupted. 

Through guided bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping), both hemispheres of the brain are activated while revisiting the memory. 

This allows the amygdala (the brain’s alarm system) to calm, the hippocampus to recontextualize the experience, and the prefrontal cortex to re-engage, restoring emotional regulation. The mechanism seems to mimic what naturally happens during REM sleep, when the brain consolidates memories and regulates emotions. 

Through this reprocessing, the emotional intensity of the memory generally tends to decrease. The memory itself doesn’t disappear, but the body no longer reacts as if it’s happening in the present. Over time, traumatic experiences can become understood by the body as things that have happened, not things that are still happening. 

The necessity of the eye movements themselves was questioned by critics early on, but a solid body of research now confirms the crucial role they play in memory reconsolidation and emotional regulation. (1, 4) 

How EMDR Fits Into Whole Body Healing

In functional medicine, we’re always looking at how different systems throughout the body are communicating, and where those feedback loops break down. 

The nervous system, immune system, and endocrine (hormonal) system are deeply intertwined via the neuroimmunoendocrine axis, and when one is dysregulated, all three are affected. The mind and the gut are also inextricably linked. 

In short, psychological stress affects the whole body. And through its effects on stress, EMDR may support whole-body healing.

LISTEN: Healing Trauma & Limited Beliefs, Neurohacking + The Mind-Body Connection | Reg Malhotra 

What Happens During a Session

Unlike most therapeutic approaches to trauma, an EMDR session doesn’t require you to retell your story in detail, and it involves minimal verbal instruction and dialogue. 

Your therapist will help you identify a specific traumatic memory or stressful event and the core negative beliefs attached to it. Then, they’ll guide you to focus on this memory (often using a specific image or sensation connected to it). While you’re focusing on the memory, you’ll follow the therapist’s hand movements, tapping, or sounds that move from left to right.

These motions activate both hemispheres of the brain, helping to integrate the emotional and logical aspects of the experience. 

This helps to lessen the emotional intensity of the memory, and many people feel a sense of deep relief and/or release after just the first session. Some people also feel temporary emotional or general fatigue after an EMDR session, which is a normal effect of the nervous system recalibrating.

There are eight structured phases of EMDR therapy to ensure safety and gradual progress, and reinforce neural integration across a course of sessions (typically 6-12 sessions total). Protocols are standardized and taught to be done in the same way around the world. 

EMDR previously involved vision specifically, with the most traditional method being a therapist holding up two fingers and having you follow the tip of their finger from side-to-side with your eyes. Newer methods have been developed to use other senses, including hearing (tones being played by speakers to your left and right) and touch (tapping on different sides of your body, or using a pulsing device). 

International EMDR associations and training standards support all of these different forms: the key is the bilateral stimulation. 

Who Is EMDR Right For? 

EMDR has been shown to help people with: 

• PTSD or trauma from single or repeated events (3)
• Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias (5) 
• Depression and mental health conditions (6) 
• Emotional numbness
• Chronic illness or pain linked to trauma (7) 
• Somatic symptoms linked to trauma (including gut issues, fatigue, headaches) 

I often recommend EMDR treatment when someone’s nervous system seems stuck in overdrive, or when their emotional resources seem depleted. 

While EMDR is overall considered very safe, it may not be appropriate for those who are experiencing untreated dissociative disorders, hallucinations, or delusions, or with severe instability or lack of support. In these cases, grounding and stabilization may need to come first. If you’re unsure, it’s always best to speak with a trusted clinician.

EMDR vs. Talk Therapy: A Both-And Approach

EMDR and talk therapy are often talked about like they’re competitors, but they can actually be very complementary. 

Talk therapy helps us make sense of our experiences through insight and reflection, and EMDR helps the body release what words can’t. 

In my experience, alternating EMDR with talk therapy sessions allows people to integrate both mind and body processing. After EMDR clears an emotional charge, talk therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help translate those changes into lasting behavioral and cognitive shifts.

Beyond PTSD: EMDR For Chronic Illness 

EMDR can benefit people without PTSD or trauma-specific diagnoses, as many chronic health conditions have an underlying component of nervous system dysregulation. 

In my functional medicine telehealth practice, people are not necessarily coming in with a history of trauma as their primary concern. 

They may come in with an autoimmune condition, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), a dysautonomic condition like POTS, a digestive disorder, hormonal balances, or simply not feeling well and not knowing why. 

But often, when we do a detailed health history and intake, we find a history of trauma or severe or long term stress which is impacting the regulation of the body. 

That’s why I often recommend EMDR for nervous system regulation, as part of a comprehensive healing plan that may also involve personalized nutrition, targeted supplementation, gentle detoxification, specialized lab testing, and lifestyle practices. 

Nervous System Regulation Can Change the Game

True healing happens when we take care of the mind and brain alongside the rest of the body. You can optimize your diet, balance your hormones, and take all the “right” supplements, but if your nervous system is still locked in danger mode, your body won’t understand that it’s safe, and symptoms and dysregulation will often persist. 

EMDR is an evidence-based, effective tool for completing old cycles and giving your body the message that it’s safe and that it can heal. 

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe.

FAQs

Sources

• de Jongh, A., de Roos, C., & El‐Leithy, S. (2024). State of the science: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 37(2), 205-216.
• Hase, M., Balmaceda, U. M., Ostacoli, L., Liebermann, P., & Hofmann, A. (2017). The AIP model of EMDR therapy and pathogenic memories. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1578.
• Shapiro, F. (2014). The role of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in medicine: addressing the psychological and physical symptoms stemming from adverse life experiences. The Permanente Journal, 18(1), 71.
• Gunter, R. W., & Bodner, G. E. (2008). How eye movements affect unpleasant memories: Support for a working-memory account. Behaviour research and therapy, 46(8), 913-931.
• Yunitri, N., Kao, C. C., Chu, H., Voss, J., Chiu, H. L., Liu, D., … & Chou, K. R. (2020). The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing toward anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of psychiatric research, 123, 102-113.
• Seok, J. W., & Kim, J. I. (2024). The efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment for depression: A meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(18), 5633.
• Singla, A., Futela, P., Arora, K., Toussaint, L., Ahmad, Z., Murawska Baptista, A., … & Mohabbat, A. B. (2025). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review. Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine.