Can EMDR Still Work If I Don’t Remember My Memories?
Whether you’re navigating anxiety, depression, or overcoming past traumas, we’re here to provide a safe space for growth and healing. Our evidence based approaches blend therapy, mindfulness, and holistic practices to nurture your well-being. We can help you take the next step.
Janay Langford is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and is the owner of Desert Sage Counseling in St. George, Utah. She specializes in Trauma using an Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapeutic approach. She also assists clients in navigating life transitions, grief and loss, stress management, relationships, anger management, faith crisis and addiction.
Can EMDR Still Work If You Don’t Remember Your Memories? Absolutely: Here’s How
One of the biggest misconceptions about EMDR Therapy is that you must remember every painful moment or memory of your past to heal. One of the most common experiences of people attending therapy sounds like
“I don’t remember my childhood”
“I feel like something is wrong but I can’t tell you what specific memory”
“I had a good childhood and I don’t think that I have trauma.”
If any of these resonate, you are not alone. Here’s the good news: you can still benefit from EMDR even without access to clear memories.
Why You Don’t Need Explicit Memories for EMDR
EMDR doesn’t just work on traditional “memories” like movie-clip recollections.
It works on unprocessed experiences stored in the nervous system.
You may not remember what happened, but your body and emotional patterns often do.
People with few or missing memories often still show signs of unresolved trauma through:
unexplained anxiety
emotional triggers they can’t explain
relationship patterns that repeat
physical sensations (tight chest, stomach drops, tension)
beliefs like “I’m not safe” or “I’m not good enough”
EMDR targets these stored responses, not only the story surrounding them.
How EMDR Works Without Concrete Memories
1. Targeting Current Triggers
You don’t need a past memory—just a present reaction.
Example:
Your therapist may ask, “What situation right now brings up the strongest discomfort?”
EMDR then helps process the emotional and physical responses to that trigger.
Often, this unlocks layers beneath it, whether remembered or not.
2. Using Body Sensations as the “memory”
You might not recall an event, but you may feel:
a knot in your stomach
heaviness in your chest
numbness
panic
EMDR can start right there.
The body sensation becomes the entry point for healing.
3. Working With Negative Core Beliefs
Trauma often forms beliefs, such as:
“I’m unsafe.”
“I’m unlovable.”
“I have to be perfect.”
Even without remembering where these beliefs came from, EMDR can reprocess them and help form healthier ones.
4. Using “float-back” techniques if memories appear naturally
Sometimes, during processing, a forgotten memory or fragment may arise.
If it does, great—the therapist helps you process it.
If it doesn’t, EMDR still works through the emotional material that is available.
There’s no pressure to “remember”; EMDR follows your system’s own pace.
5. Addressing Early or Preverbal Trauma
Even experiences from before you formed conscious memory—infancy, early childhood, medical procedures, disrupted attachment—can be processed.
These show up in emotional and physical patterns, so EMDR can work with them even without narrative memories.
Why EMDR Still Works: The Brain Remembers Even When You Don’t
The key is this:
Trauma isn’t stored as a story; it’s stored as sensations, emotions, and implicit memories. EMDR taps into those.
Think of it like this:
You don’t need to remember the fire for your smoke detector to sense something’s still wrong.
What to Expect in EMDR When You Don’t Have Memories
During sessions, you may work with:
a current situation that triggers you
a physical feeling (“I feel pressure in my chest”)
an emotion (“I feel abandoned”)
an image or metaphor (“It’s like a dark cloud”)
a belief (“I’m not safe”)
These are all valid starting points for EMDR.
Unsure where to start? Do you ever doubt your own symptoms, experiences, or emotions? Feeling overwhelmed by signs of nervous system dysregulation? At Desert Sage Counseling, your therapist will meet you exactly where you are—guiding you with clarity, compassion, and expertise as you begin your journey toward healing and self-understanding. With EMDR therapy at Desert Sage Counseling, we help you gently process what your mind may not remember but your body still holds, offering a powerful path toward lasting relief and transformation. Your healing doesn’t have to wait until you understand everything.
