What Happens in EMDR If You Can’t Recall Your Trauma?

By Milissa Aronson  |   EMDR

Posted: May 29, 2025

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has become a very popular treatment. Many people who are feeling stuck or continuing to experience the effects of past trauma are often referred for EMDR because of its amazing benefits in helping clients move forward with their lives. But what happens when you know you have past trauma, but, for whatever reason, you can’t remember it? Can you still participate in EMDR therapy and get its benefits?

EMDR Work for You, Even if You Can’t Recall Your Trauma

While vivid recalling traumatic events can be beneficial in EMDR therapy, it’s not an absolute necessity for the treatment to be effective. EMDR is designed to process both remembered and forgotten aspects of trauma. You may find that even without clear memories, the therapy can still help address emotional distress, negative beliefs, and physical sensations associated with the trauma. EMDR’s unique approach allows for healing by targeting the way your brain stores and processes traumatic experiences, regardless of your ability to consciously recall specific details.

Implicit Memories and the Body

Trauma can leave lasting imprints on your body and mind, even when you can’t consciously recall the event. These implicit memories, stored in your non-verbal memory system, often manifest as physical sensations, emotions, or behavioral patterns without a clear narrative attached. You might experience unexplained anxiety, tension in certain body parts, or recurring negative thoughts.

Understanding that trauma can be “remembered” by your body, even when your conscious mind can’t access it, is crucial in EMDR therapy. This approach can help process these hidden memories and alleviate their impact on your daily life.

Targeting Presenting Problems and Symptoms

When specific trauma memories are elusive, EMDR therapy can still be effective by focusing on current symptoms. You and your therapist will identify present-day difficulties that may stem from past trauma, such as anxiety, avoidance behaviors, or negative self-beliefs. By targeting these issues, EMDR can help process underlying trauma even without clear recollections. This approach allows you to address the impact of past experiences on your daily life, fostering healing and personal growth.

Focusing on Emotional and Somatic Responses

In EMDR therapy, when you can’t recall specific traumatic memories, your therapist may guide you to focus on the emotional and physical sensations associated with past experiences. By tuning into your body’s responses, you can process trauma even without clear recollections. This approach allows you to address the impact of past events through:

• Identifying current emotional triggers
• Recognizing physical sensations linked to stress
• Exploring general feelings of unease or discomfort

This technique helps uncover and process underlying trauma, promoting healing and resilience.

Utilizing Other EMDR Techniques

Float Back and Bridging

When specific memories are elusive, therapists may employ the Float Back technique, guiding you to the earliest sensations or distress related to your current issue. This can uncover fragmented memories without requiring a complete narrative. Similarly, Bridging focuses on present triggers, exploring past connections even if they’re not immediately apparent.

Somatic and Flash Techniques

Some EMDR therapists integrate Somatic Experiencing principles, accessing trauma held in the body through gentle attention to physical sensations. The Flash Technique offers a gentler approach, involving brief, repeated focus on positive or neutral elements while touching on aspects of the traumatic memory.

How the Whole Process Works

EMDR activates the brain’s natural information processing system, even without conscious recall of trauma. The bilateral stimulation facilitates the processing of stored traumatic experiences at a neurological level. The goal isn’t to retrieve every detail, but to reduce emotional distress and negative beliefs associated with the trauma. Skilled EMDR therapists adapt the protocol for individuals struggling with memory recall. Processing trauma without clear memories may take more time and follow a less linear path, but it can still be effective in healing and reducing symptoms.

While recalling the trauma can be a part of EMDR, the therapy can still be effective when memories are fragmented, blocked, or absent. The focus shifts to present-day symptoms, associated emotions, and body sensations and utilizes specific EMDR techniques to access and process the underlying traumatic experiences stored in implicit memory. EMDR is a very powerful therapy and it’s essential to work with a qualified EMDR therapist who can tailor the approach to your individual needs and history.

Do you think EMDR might be a good fit for you? Reach out today to learn more.