Sexual trauma can leave lasting scars—physically, emotionally, and neurologically. Survivors often carry the weight of shame, fear, confusion, and loss of safety long after the event has passed. Many struggle with symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and relational difficulties that can feel impossible to overcome.
But healing is possible.
One of the most researched and effective treatments for sexual trauma is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR helps survivors access and process traumatic memories in a safe and structured way, reducing their emotional intensity and empowering the brain to move toward healing.
Whether you’re a survivor, loved one, or clinician, understanding how EMDR works and what it offers can open new doors to recovery, resilience, and freedom.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a trauma-focused, evidence-based psychotherapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It’s widely used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is recognized by the World Health Organization, the American Psychiatric Association, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Rather than retelling traumatic experiences over and over, EMDR helps clients process memories using bilateral stimulation (such as side-to-side eye movements, tapping, or sounds) to unlock the brain’s natural healing mechanisms.
Sexual trauma—whether from abuse, assault, harassment, or violation—impacts every layer of the survivor’s being:
These symptoms often live not only in the mind but in the body and nervous system—making traditional talk therapy alone insufficient for full healing.
EMDR targets the trauma held in the brain and body, allowing survivors to reprocess memories that were previously “stuck” and causing distress.
Many survivors fear talking about their trauma because it feels reactivating, overwhelming, or shameful. EMDR allows individuals to approach the memory indirectly, without needing to retell every detail.
Instead, clients are guided to activate the memory briefly while using bilateral stimulation, which helps the brain reprocess the event with new perspective and emotional distance.
As one survivor said,
“EMDR helped me go near the memory without drowning in it. I still remember what happened, but it doesn’t control me anymore.”
EMDR is especially effective in reducing PTSD symptoms, including:
By reprocessing the trauma and “unsticking” the brain, EMDR helps regulate the nervous system and bring relief from these symptoms.
In many studies, up to 90% of clients no longer met criteria for PTSD after 8–12 sessions of EMDR.
Sexual trauma often steals a person’s sense of safety, autonomy, and bodily integrity. EMDR therapy places the client in control of their healing process. They choose which memories to work on, when to pause, and how deep to go.
This fosters empowerment and agency, which are crucial elements of trauma recovery.
Sexual trauma lives in the body, not just in memory. EMDR engages the whole nervous system, helping the body process unresolved fear, freeze responses, or physical sensations linked to trauma.
Many clients report a release of stored tension or emotion after a session—tears, trembling, deep breaths—as their bodies finally let go of what they’ve been holding.
This somatic healing helps break the loop of trauma responses like hyperarousal, dissociation, or physical shutdown.
Trauma often leaves behind harmful core beliefs, such as:
These beliefs shape how survivors view themselves and the world, often long after the event.
EMDR allows clients to challenge and replace these negative beliefs with empowering truths—such as “I did the best I could,” “I am safe now,” or “My worth is not defined by what happened to me.”
This cognitive shift is profound and often life-changing.
EMDR is flexible and effective for:
Therapists can pace EMDR gently, integrating grounding and stabilization strategies along the way.
Rather than just managing symptoms, EMDR helps resolve the root of the trauma. Once memories are reprocessed, clients often experience long-lasting freedom, clarity, and peace.
They may notice:
EMDR doesn’t erase memories—it integrates them.
After treatment, survivors still remember what happened, but the memory no longer feels like it’s happening now. The emotional charge is reduced, and the memory becomes a chapter in their story—not the whole book.
This shift creates space for joy, connection, and post-traumatic growth.
A typical EMDR session includes 8 phases:
If you’ve experienced sexual trauma and feel stuck, triggered, or disconnected—EMDR may be a powerful next step in your healing journey.
It’s especially worth exploring if:
Sexual trauma is deeply painful—but it is also survivable. With the right support, you can heal not only the memory but the impact it has had on your life, identity, and relationships.
EMDR is more than a technique.
It is a doorway back to yourself.
To safety. To dignity. To wholeness.
To a life where you are no longer defined by what happened to you—but by the strength and resilience of your healing.
Sheila Burns
I hold a Masters in Counseling, am a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, a Licensed Social Worker, and a Master Addiction Counselor. I have over 20 years of extensive experience with mental health and substance abuse issues such as trauma, anxiety, depression and relationship issues.
I rely particularly on Evidence Based Treatments and Promising Practices, including Cognitive Behavioral Approaches (CBT), Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Mindfulness, Multi-systemic treatments, Insight Oriented and Solution Focused treatment modalities.
I believe we are resilient beings that have the power to overcome many adversities, leading to a clearer, positive sense of self. I am deeply compassionate, non-judgmental, insightful, versatile, and have a solid sense of humor.