How EMDR Therapy Works: EMDR and the Brain

This article was updated on September 17, 2026. 

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy works by utilizing bilateral stimulation to unlock maladaptively stored traumatic memories from the subcortical brain, allowing them to be functionally integrated by the prefrontal cortex. 

Originally developed by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., EMDR is an integrative, evidence-based psychotherapy that synthesizes elements of psychodynamic theory, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and somatic interventions.

Integrating speech and memory: EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation to bridge the brain's hemispheres, allowing raw, wordless trauma networks to be processed into a coherent verbal narrative.

As a licensed psychotherapist in New York City specializing in trauma recovery, I completed my foundational EMDR training in 2005 after observing that traditional talk therapies often fell short for clients navigating complex PTSD. Over the past two decades, extensive neuroimaging research has clarified how this profound modality rewires the brain, particularly when enhanced by advanced somatic tracking and clinical visualization techniques.

How Emotional Trauma Hijacks the Brain’s Anatomy

To understand the efficacy of EMDR, one must first look at how acute psychological trauma alters neural architecture. Traumatic experiences disrupt normal memory consolidation, trapping memories in an unintegrated, raw state within the nonverbal, subcortical structures of the brain—specifically the amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus, and brainstem.

Neuroimaging and neurobiological research highlight several critical shifts in a traumatized brain:

• Frontal Lobe Deactivation: When a traumatic memory is triggered, advances in brain scanning show that the left prefrontal cortex—specifically Broca’s area, which governs speech and logic—effectively shuts down. This explains why individuals with PTSD struggle to form a coherent verbal narrative of their past; the reasoning brain goes offline.
• Right-Hemisphere Hyper-Activation: While the logical left brain dims, the right hemisphere—associated with emotional states, sensory images, and autonomic nervous system arousal—lights up intensely. The amygdala fires a continuous neuroception of threat.
• The Loss of Temporal Context: Because these memories are isolated from the frontal lobes, they retain a sense of timelessness. Traumatized individuals experience past terror with such visceral immediacy that the central nervous system cannot distinguish "then" from "now" (see my article: Working Through Emotional Trauma: Learning to Separate "Then" From "Now".).
• Corpus Callosum Impairment: The corpus callosum serves as the neural bridge facilitating interhemispheric communication between the emotional right brain and the cognitive left brain. Trauma dysregulates this pathway, trapping distressing memories in isolated, unintegrated neural networks.

The AIP Model and Bilateral Stimulation (BLS)

The foundation of EMDR therapy rests on the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model. The AIP framework posits that the human brain naturally processes psychological disruptions through associative memory networks—much like digesting food or healing a physical wound. Under normal conditions, minor stressors are integrated through daily reflection, journaling, or REM sleep dreams.

However, an overwhelming traumatic event floods the body’s chemistry, causing the brain's natural information processing system to freeze. The memory becomes frozen in its original, highly distressing state, containing the exact sights, sounds, and physical sensations of the initial threat.

EMDR systematically restarts this frozen processing system using Bilateral Stimulation (BLS). By introducing alternating, rhythmic stimuli—which can include lateral eye movements, tactile hand-directed tapping, or alternating auditory tones—EMDR facilitates the following clinical shifts:

1. Accessing the Isolated Network: BLS gently stimulates the right hemisphere to bring the subconscious, maladaptively stored memory into conscious awareness.
2. Activating Left-Brain Logic: The rhythmic left-to-right stimulation keeps the left prefrontal cortex online, allowing the analytical brain to observe the trauma safely.
3. Promoting Adaptive Integration: By forcing both hemispheres to communicate across the corpus callosum, EMDR allows the brain to form new, adaptive neural connections. The traumatic memory is finally stripped of its visceral, high-anxiety charge and re-filed as a neutral historical event.

Get Help in EMDR Therapy

Emotional trauma that creates psychological, physical, and interpersonal problems is much more common than most people realize.

Research has shown that EMDR is one of the most effective forms of therapy to overcome emotional trauma.

If you are suffering with emotional trauma, rather than suffering alone, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who is trained as an EMDR therapist.

About Me

I am a licensed New York City psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, and advanced practitioner specializing in IFS Parts Work, Somatic Experiencing, AEDP, EMDR, EFT Couples Therapy and Certified Sex Therapist, 

I provide depth-oriented experiential counseling to help individual adults and couples move past internal blockages into authentic relational alignment.

To learn more about my clinical background, clinical philosophy, and healing approach, please visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

• Office Location: I see clients in-person at my Greenwich Village office (New York, NY 10011) as well as throughout New York State online via secure telehealth.
• Initial Consultation: I provide a complimentary 15-minute introductory phone call prior to scheduling an initial appointment.
• Contact Information: You can reach me directly at (917) 742-2624 during standard business hours, or you can connect with me via email.

 

Medical Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified mental health professional or physician regarding a medical or psychological condition.

What is the Defense Mechanism Known As "Projection" and How Does It Affect Relationships?

This article was updated on September 16, 2026.

What is the Defense Mechanism Called "Projection"?

Psychological projection is an unconscious defense mechanism where an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, motives, or character traits onto another person. 

By externalizing these unwanted internal conflicts, projection acts as a psychological shield for the ego. Instead of confronting painful emotional realities—such as deep-seated guilt, shame, insecurity, or anger—the projecting individual subconsciously shifts the burden so that the problem appears to belong entirely to someone else.

Projection forces a severe distortion, turning an internal vulnerability or shadow trait into an external perception.

The projection acts as a shield for the person's ego. Instead of confronting uncomfortable truths about their own behavior, feelings and other uncomfortable truths (including feelings of guilt, shame, emotional insecurity or anger), the person who projects externalizes them so that, in their own mind, these problems belong to the other person.

This concept was originally developed in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic theories and most depth-oriented therapists today recognize projection when it's happening in the therapy session, when couples use it in couples therapy or when individual adult clients talk about it in terms of their relationships outside of therapy.

This classic clinical concept originated in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic theories. Today, depth-oriented psychotherapists routinely identify projection within individual sessions, family dynamics, and marriage counseling.

In clinical psychology, defense mechanisms are classified along a developmental hierarchy ranging from "primitive" (or immature) to "mature," based on when they originate and how severely they distort reality.

Why is Projection Considered a Primitive Defense Mechanism?

When adults rely heavily on projection to cope with anxiety or conflict, it is classified on the primitive end of the psychological spectrum for three core reasons:

1. Early Developmental Origins: Early-stage defenses serve as the mind's primitive boundary-making tools. Projection typically develops during early childhood before a person has the cognitive or emotional maturity to process complex internal states. It emerges when a child is still learning to differentiate "me" from "not me" (internal experience versus external reality).
2. Gross Distortion of Reality: While mature defense mechanisms like intellectualization or rationalization simply reframe an uncomfortable truth, primitive defenses fundamentally alter a person's perception of reality. Projection forces a severe cognitive distortion: the individual misinterprets a internal vulnerability as an external threat, radically warping how they view another person's true intentions or character.
3. Binary, All-or-Nothing Thinking: Primitive defenses function on strict, black-and-white dualities. When the ego cannot tolerate a perceived flaw or "bad" trait within the self, it splits that trait off and projects it onto an external target. This total lack of psychological nuance is a hallmark of early, primitive ego functioning (see my article: Overcoming All or Nothing Thinking).

Common Examples of Projection

• Relationship Insecurity: Without realizing it, someone who is feeling like they would like to end their relationship because they cannot tolerate the relationship problems often uses projection. This is especially true when the problems they bring to the relationship feel intolerable. So, instead of owning and taking responsibility for their own thoughts and feelings, they accuse their partner of wanting to end the relationship. Another example: If someone is cheating, they accuse their partner of cheating or wanting to cheat.

• Workplace Hostility: An employee who dislikes another coworker might tell others, "That person hates me". They convert what they are feeling, which is, "I don't like that person" into "They don't like me."

• Bullying and Insecurity: A person who criticizes others for being "weak" or "stupid" is often projecting their own deep-seated insecurities onto others.

Why Do Adults Use Projection as a Defense Mechanism?

Projection is unconscious, as I mentioned before, so it's not usually done maliciously. It often happens for specific psychological reasons:

• Reducing Anxiety and Stress: It's very difficult for a person who uses projection to face their own worst traits. Unconsciously shifting these uncomfortable thoughts, feelings  and traits onto a "scapegoat" relieves the immediate internal pressure because the traits have been externalized.

• Protecting Self Esteem: Projection allows an individual to maintain a positive self image by denying their own worst traits and habits.

• Avoiding Accountability: By focusing on the perceived faults of others, the person avoids taking responsibility for their own problems.

• Personality Disorders and Early Trauma: Projection is heavily associated with narcissistic personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder and avoidant personality disorder. It is also associated with early unresolved trauma. Note: Just because someone uses projection as a defense mechanism doesn't necessarily mean they have a personality disorder, but there is a high association between projection and personality disorders. However, if someone uses projection, they usually have early unresolved childhood trauma, which is called developmental trauma. Projection develops during early childhood and for many people it continues into adulthood if they don't get help in therapy.

How Does Projection Affect Relationships?

Projection acts like a psychological shield when the person projecting shifts internal insecurities onto a partner. This damages trust and communication in the relationship.

Projection damages relationships because it:

• Creates False Accusations: Example: A person accuses their partner of trying to control them instead of dealing with their own controlling behavior towards their partner.

• Erodes Mutual Trust: Baseless accusations makes the other person feel targeted and unsafe. Over time, the accused partner stops sharing thoughts and feelings to avoid conflict. 

• Blocks Real Conflict Resolution: Arguments center on the imagined behavior instead of the actual root issue. The person who is projecting refuses to acknowledge their problem so conflicts aren't resolved and the couple keeps arguing about the same issues over and over again without resolution.

• Causes Emotional Exhaustion: The accused partner keeps defending themselves against baseless and unfair accusations. This cycle drains energy, leads to deeper resentment and perpetuates the same ongong cycle. This usually happens if the person who is projecting doesn't get help in psychotherapy with a qualified therapist.

• Triggers Reality Distortion: The projecting partner truly believes their distorted thinking, feeling and perception of reality, which is distorted. This dynamic can cause the accused partner to question their own sense of reality if they allow the projecting partner to overcome their sense of reality.

Breaking the Cycle of Using Projection as a Defense Mechanism

Since projection is unconscious and develops at a very early age, it can't be resolved without professional help in therapy.

Working with an experienced psychotherapist who understands the unconscious nature of projection (not all therapists are trained to understand projection) can help an accusing individual to pause and look at their own dynamic--before they accuse their partner.

A skilled psychotherapist can help to uncover and address deeply hidden insecurities that are at the root of using projection. She can also help an individual to develop other higher functioning ways of interacting with others, including intimate partners. 

The work isn't quick or easy because projection is a deeply ingrained defense mechanism that is used from early childhood into adulthood. A person who uses projection must be motivated to change and stick with the therapy.

The challenge is that people who use projection often go from one therapist to another because they use projection to defend against the therapist and the therapy. This means they blame the therapist--in the same way as they use projection with others.

Consequently, a licensed mental health must know how to work in a way that feels relatively safe for the client and, at the same time, gently helps the client to make unconscious projection conscious. 

That is the first step. After developing awareness of how the client uses projection, they need to be willing to take steps to change, which is also challenging because of their internal fragility.

For a client who is psychologically fragile, which includes people who use projection, the therapist needs do a thorough assessment, including assessing the client's window of tolerance and help the client to develop the necessary internal resources and coping skills to deal with making these changes.

Unfortunately, most people who use projection never seek help in therapy and they remain stuck in their negative cycle.

Get Help in Therapy

If you use projection as your defense mechanism, you risk placing your relationships with others, especially your intimate relationship, in jeopardy.

Although it might not be easy to accept that you're using a primitive defense mechanism from early childhood, using projection and damaging your relationships is much worse.

You can learn about yourself and transform in therapy with a therapist who has an expertise in helping clients with primitive defense mechanisms. This can help you to live a more fulfilling life.

Contact & Consultation Information

I see clients online throughout New York State and in person at my private office in Greenwich Village, New York, NY 10011.

I offer a free 15-minute introductory phone consultation before scheduling your initial appointment.

• Website: Visit Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist to learn more about my practice.
• Email: Reach out confidentially via email at josephineferraro@iCloud.com.
• Phone: Call me directly at (917) 742-2624 during standard business hours.

Also See My Articles:

IFS Therapy is a Gentle, Evidence-Based Therapy

How to Develop a Curious Mindset

Overcoming Trauma: You're Not Defined By What Happened to You

Developmental Trauma: Living in the Present As If You Were in the Past

Understanding Traumatizing Narcissists and DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender)

Riding the Waves of Transformation

Getting Help in Therapy is a Sign of Strength--Not a Sign of Weakness

This article was updated as of September 16, 2026.

Getting help in therapy is a sign of personal strength.

Getting Help in Therapy is a Sign of Strength--Not Weakness

Seeking help is never a sign of weakness or defeat (see my article: Common Myths About Therapy: Going to Therapy Means You're "Weak").

Why Going to Therapy is a Sign of Personal Strength

When someone is ready to begin therapy, far from being a sign of weakness, going to therapy often requires courage to face difficult emotions, possibly confronting social or cultural stigma and making a commitment to change and personal strength.

A skilled psychotherapist can make the process more manageable by pacing the process to prevent emotional overwhelm.

Why is There a Stigma For Getting Help in Therapy?

Although it's more acceptable for people to get help in therapy these days, many people, who need help, are still afraid to seek help in therapy for a variety of reasons, including that they:

• Judge themselves harshly for needing help and feel ashamed.

• Believe they should just "get over" their problems.

• Believe they would be "self indulgent" or "too self centered" if they went to therapy.

• Believe only rich or famous people attend therapy.

• Think that only "crazy" people seek help in therapy

• Believe their problems are only in their imagination and not "real problems".

• Feel they don't deserve help.

• Believe that they must be "weak" if they need help.

• Believe they will have to remain in therapy for a long time to overcome their problems (see my article: Common Myths About Psychotherapy: Therapy Takes a Long Time).

• Worry about what their family and friends might think if they found out that they went to therapy.

• Believe the therapist will judge them.

• Don't know about Federal confidentiality laws, so they believe that their therapist might tell their employer or other people about what they discuss in therapy.

• Believe going to see a therapist means they're paying the therapist to be their "friend," which makes them feel ashamed because they believe a therapist couldn't actually care about them.

What Can You Do to Reduce Your Fear of Getting Help in Therapy?

To reduce your fear or concern, be aware:

• You're not alone.  There are skilled mental health professionals who can help undo your feelings of being alone.

• An experienced therapist has a lot of experience helping clients with similar problems to yours and she won't judge you for your problems.

• A licensed psychotherapist can't divulge your information under Federal law without your written consent--unless you're an active harm to yourself or others or you're engaging in child abuse (psychotherapists are mandated reporters and must report child abuse to the state).

• Seeking help in therapy doesn't mean you're "weak." On the contrary, it's a sign of courage and personal strength.

• Seeking help in therapy doesn't mean you're "crazy." Clients who are actively psychotic or delusional usually go to specialized programs--not to individual therapy--to get psychiatrically stabilized.

• Everyone needs help at some point in their lives and everyone is deserving of help.

• You can see a psychotherapist for an initial appointment to see if you feel comfortable with her and to obtain psychoeducation about that therapist works  and about therapy in general (see my article: Why It's Important for Psychotherapists to Provide Psychoeducation About How Therapy Works).

• You decide what your therapy goals are, so you're in charge of of therapy and you can go for as long as you want to go.

• Skilled psychotherapists are empathetic towards their clients' suffering.  You're not paying them to be your "friend."  You're paying them for their expertise and time.

Taking the First Step in Therapy: Making the Call

Most therapists offer a 10-15 minute phone call before setting up an appointment so you can ask basic questions.

I usually encourage new clients to think of the first appointment as a session to see if they feel comfortable with me, to ask more questions about how I work and to discuss other similar issues.

Rather than plunging into the depths of their problems, I encourage clients to discuss what they would like to get out of therapy in that first meeting. 

Of course, I'm open to hearing anything, but I find that speaking about their issues in a broad way, rather than diving into the details, helps clients to feel less emotionally vulnerable when we first meet.

After the first appointment, you can decide if you feel it's a good fit or at least good enough to have another appointment.

Get Help in Therapy

If you have been struggling on your own, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who has the experience and expertise you need.

Overcoming your problems can free you from your history so you can lead a more fulfilling life.

About Josephine Ferraro, LCSW

I am a licensed New York City psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, and advanced practitioner specializing in IFS Parts Work, Somatic Experiencing, AEDP, EMDR, EFT Couples Therapy and Sex Therapy.

I provide depth-oriented, experiential therapy to help individual adults and couples move past internal blockages into authentic relational alignment.

To learn more about my clinical background, clinical philosophy, and healing approach, please visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

• Office Location: I see clients in-person at my Greenwich Village office (New York, NY 10011) as well as online via secure telehealth.

• Initial Contact: I provide a complimentary 15-minute introductory phone call prior to scheduling an initial appointment.

• Contact Information: You can reach me directly at (917) 742-2624 during standard business hours or josephineferraro@iCloud.com.

Also See My Articles:

Why Do People Go to Therapy?

How to Choose a Psychotherapist 

The Positive Ripple Effect

The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Therapy 

Fear of Change 

Why Psychotherapists Should Attend Their Own Personal Therapy

This article was updated on September 16, 2026.

When I was a psychotherapist in training at a New York City psychoanalytic institute in 1996, I was required to be in my own analysis three times a week. 

In addition to taking classes, attending three supervision sessions per week and seeing clients at the psychotherapy center, being in my own analysis seemed like it would be a daunting process. But it turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done for myself.

Uncovering blind spots: Intensive personal therapy allows clinicians to explore their own internal landscapes to better serve their clients

All of us in our first year of training felt like impostors when we began working with clients, so it helped to have a safe place with seasoned analysts who had already been through the process and could help us through it (see my article: Hello Impostor Syndrome My Old Friend).

As I soon discovered, attending analysis three times a week for four years in training had many therapeutic and educational benefits. 

The frequency provided emotional and psychological continuity. In addition, it allowed me to go deeper into my personal history and minimized intellectualization that comes from merely "chatting" in therapy. 

It also allowed me to get first-hand experience of the psychotherapy process as opposed to only learning about it in classes or with the clients I saw at the psychotherapy center.

Intensive therapy also helped to eliminate potential blind spots. 

In addition, intensive therapy got to potential unconscious biases and helped to prevent projection of my own unresolved problems onto clients.

I was also fortunate that my training program provided relatively low-cost analysis with an excellent choice of experienced analysts.

Why Should Psychotherapists Attend Their Own Therapy?

Well-trained psychotherapists attend their own therapy because practitioner's minds and emotional health are their primary tools in treating clients.

Research indicates that approximately 75-84% of licensed mental health practitioners have undergone their own personal therapy at some point in their careers.

Clinical training teaches clinicians how to analyze clients' problems, but personal therapy teaches them how to be in the client's place.

The American Psychological Association identifies critical reasons why well-trained therapists actively participate in their own therapy including:

Managing Countertransference and Blind Spots:

• Spotting Triggers: Without their own therapy, psychotherapists own unresolved history can get triggered by a client's trauma.

• Eliminating Bias: As mentioned before, personal therapy uncovers hidden psychological blind spots that might impact a clinician's ability to work objectively with clients.

• Protecting Boundaries: Processing inner conflicts helps prevent therapists from projecting their own emotional needs onto vulnerable clients.

Experiencing the Client's Perspective

• Building Empathy: Being in the role of the client helps therapists to understand how intimidating, vulnerable and brave it is for clients to share their deepest emotions (see my article: Why is Empathy Important in Psychotherapy?).

• Learning Mastercraft: Attending therapy allows therapists to experience how a senior clinician handles complex emotions in real-time.

• Refining Technique: Observing and experiencing a senior clinician provides a live demonstration of how abstract psychological theories function in actual practice.

Combating Burnout and Vicarious Trauma

• Processing Heavy Stories: Listening to clients' stories about grief, trauma and loss can take a psychological toll, so personal therapy provides support.

• Preventing Compassion Fatigue: Therapy offers a necessary release so clinicians don't absorb the chronic stress of their caseload.

• Modeling Self Care: Practicing clinicians must actively utilize the same self-care tools they recommend for their clients and senior clinicians can model this.

Normalizing Mental Health

• Shattering the Stigma: When psychotherapists go to therapy, it helps to build a healthier culture that views seeking help as a professional strength rather than a weakness, which helps to shatter the stigma of going to therapy (see my article: Mental Health Awareness: Reducing the Stigma of Getting Help in Therapy).

Conclusion

Since my four year psychoanalytic training from 1996-2000, I have gone on to learn other advanced psychotherapy modalities including EMDR, AEDP, IFS, Somatic Experiencing, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples as well as becoming a certified sex therapist.

I believe that all therapists in training, whether their training program requires personal therapy or not, benefit from attending their own personal therapy.

About Me

I am a licensed New York City psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, and advanced practitioner specializing in IFS Parts Work, Somatic Experiencing, AEDP, EMDR, and EFT Couples Therapy and Sex Therapy. 

I provide depth-oriented, experiential therapy to help individual adults and couples move past internal blockages into authentic relational alignment.

To learn more about my clinical background, clinical philosophy, and healing approach, please visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

• Office Location: I see clients in-person at my Greenwich Village office (New York, NY 10011) as well as online via secure telehealth.

• Initial Contact: I provide a complimentary 15-minute introductory phone call prior to scheduling an initial appointment.
• 
  
• Contact Information: You can reach me directly at (917) 742-2624 during standard business hours or email me.