EMDR Therapy for Trauma: Why I Chose to Pursue This Training.

By Danielle Billard, MSW, RSW

As a therapist, I often work with people who understand exactly where their patterns come from.

They may know why certain situations make them anxious, why they struggle to trust others, or why conflict immediately puts them on high alert. They may have spent years reflecting on their childhood, relationships, losses, or other difficult experiences. Logically, they know the past is over—but their body and emotions do not always seem to believe it.

That gap between knowing and feeling is one of the reasons I decided to pursue training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, more commonly known as EMDR therapy.

I value talk therapy deeply. Having a safe place to name what happened, feel understood, and make connections can be incredibly powerful. At the same time, I have also seen how frustrating it can be when someone understands their experiences but continues to feel overwhelmed by the same triggers, memories, beliefs, or emotional reactions.

I wanted to expand the ways I can support clients when insight has helped—but something still feels stuck.

What Is EMDR Therapy for Trauma?

EMDR therapy is a structured form of psychotherapy designed to help people process distressing or traumatic experiences.

During EMDR, a client briefly focuses on aspects of a difficult memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation. This may involve guided eye movements, alternating sounds, or gentle tapping on opposite sides of the body.

EMDR is not about deleting a memory, convincing yourself that something painful was acceptable, or pretending it never happened. You still remember the experience, but the goal is for it to feel less immediate and emotionally overwhelming.

In other words, the memory can begin to feel like something that happened in the past—not something your mind and body are still experiencing in the present.

Why I Chose EMDR Therapy Training

Much of my work involves supporting adults experiencing trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD and intrusive thoughts, emotional regulation difficulties, relationship concerns, separation, family dynamics, and major life transitions.

Although these concerns can look very different, I frequently hear versions of the same experience:

“I know it wasn’t my fault, but it still feels like it was.”

“I understand why I react this way, but I can’t seem to stop.”

“I know I’m safe now, but my body is always waiting for something bad to happen.”

“I’ve talked about it before, but it still feels just as painful.”

“I know that relationship is over, but I’m still carrying it everywhere.”

These reactions are not evidence that someone is weak, resistant, dramatic, or failing at therapy. Sometimes they suggest that an experience has not yet been fully processed.

I chose EMDR training because I want to have another evidence-informed option for helping clients work with these experiences. It gives me an additional way to address the connection between memories, present-day triggers, emotions, body sensations, and the beliefs people carry about themselves.

Trauma Is Not Always One Major Event

People often associate trauma with a single catastrophic event. Trauma can certainly develop after experiences such as violence, abuse, assault, a serious accident, or a sudden loss.

However, trauma can also result from experiences that happened repeatedly or over a long period of time.

This might include growing up around unpredictable behaviour, emotional neglect, chronic criticism, bullying, controlling relationships, discrimination, family conflict, or repeatedly feeling unsafe, unseen, or responsible for other people’s emotions.

Sometimes there is no single memory that explains everything. Instead, there may be many experiences that gradually shaped how someone sees themselves and the world.

They may have learned:

• “I am not safe.”

• “My needs do not matter.”

• “I have to keep everyone happy.”

• “I cannot trust anyone.”

• “I am too much.”

• “I am not good enough.”

• “If I let my guard down, something bad will happen.”

Even when someone does not consciously think these things, these beliefs can influence their relationships, boundaries, emotional responses, self-esteem, and everyday choices.

This is part of what drew me toward EMDR therapy. It provides a structured way to explore not only what happened, but also what the person came to believe because of what happened.

EMDR Therapy Is More Than Eye Movements

EMDR is sometimes described online as though a therapist simply asks you to think about the worst thing that ever happened while following their fingers with your eyes.

That is not an accurate picture of responsible EMDR therapy.

EMDR follows an eight-phase process that includes learning about the client’s history, preparing for the work, identifying possible treatment targets, processing, and reassessing progress. Trauma processing is only one part of the overall approach.

Before approaching a distressing memory, the therapist and client need to consider the client’s current circumstances, coping strategies, support system, emotional regulation, safety, and readiness.

For some people, that preparation may happen relatively quickly. For others, it may take much longer. There is no prize for getting to the hardest memory first—and pushing too quickly is not the goal.

Safety, Choice and Preparation Matter

My approach to trauma work emphasizes safety, collaboration, pacing, and consent. Completing EMDR training will not change those values.

Clients remain active participants in the process. You can ask questions, express concerns, slow things down, pause, or decide that a particular approach does not feel right for you. You do not lose control of the session simply because EMDR is being used.

You are also not required to share every detail of an experience for the work to be meaningful.

For some clients, our initial focus may be developing emotional-regulation skills, understanding nervous-system responses, identifying triggers, or building internal and external resources. These are not delays or obstacles to the “real” work. They are meaningful parts of trauma therapy.

My style will also remain my style: warm, compassionate, collaborative, and fairly direct. I believe there is room in therapy for depth, gentle challenge, and even humour when it feels appropriate. EMDR is not replacing the relational parts of my work. It is another tool I can integrate thoughtfully when it fits the client and their goals.

Is EMDR Therapy Right for Everyone?

No therapy is the right fit for every person, and EMDR is no exception.

Some clients may benefit from EMDR therapy. Others may prefer traditional talk therapy, skills-based work, exposure-based treatment, or a combination of approaches. Someone may also be interested in EMDR but need additional stability or preparation before beginning memory-processing work.

A clinical assessment is important because readiness for EMDR depends on the individual—not simply on a diagnosis or a list of symptoms.

Clients should never feel pressured to try EMDR because a therapist has completed the training or because they have heard positive things about it. Therapy should remain a collaborative process based on the client’s needs, preferences, goals, and circumstances.

What EMDR Training Means to Me as a Therapist

For me, pursuing EMDR training is part of being responsible for my continued growth as a therapist.

A training certificate does not mean having every answer. It comes with a responsibility to learn carefully, practise within my competence, seek consultation and supervision, and be honest about whether an approach is appropriate for a particular client.

I am completing this training because I want to be better equipped to support people whose past experiences continue to affect their emotions, relationships, identity, sense of safety, and daily lives.

Most importantly, I want to offer hope without making unrealistic promises.

Healing does not mean forgetting what happened or never experiencing a difficult emotion again. Sometimes healing means being able to remember the past without being pulled completely back into it. It means having more choice in how you respond to triggers, more compassion for the ways you learned to survive, and more room to live in the present.

That is why this training feels important to me—and why I am looking forward to bringing what I learn into my work with clients.

Danielle Billard, MSW, RSW, provides virtual counselling to adults in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. She supports clients experiencing trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD and intrusive thoughts, emotional regulation difficulties, relationship concerns, separation, stress, and major life transitions.

Danielle is currently completing EMDR training. The availability and suitability of EMDR therapy will depend on the completion of her training, clinical assessment, and each client’s individual needs and readiness.