EMDR therapy and historical abuse

We cannot turn on the television, listen to the radio or open a newspaper without being confronted by stories of abuse. These stories reflect patterns of power, silence and complicity that have existed for generations.

When abuse is exposed, it is not enough to express shock. Systems must change, and cultures must shift. Challenging abuse is not only the responsibility of victims. It is the responsibility of those who benefit from the structures that allow it to persist.

Yet in the midst of public outrage and legal process, there is a question that often lingers quietly beneath the noise: What about the victims?

Public discourse tends to focus on perpetrators. Who knew. Who failed. Who covered it up. Who will be charged. While justice is vital, survivors can become secondary to the spectacle. Their trauma becomes content. Their lives are reduced to case studies. Their nervous systems, however, are still carrying the impact long after the headlines fade.

As a counsellor working with trauma, I see both the visible and invisible effects of abuse. Whether abuse happened last week or thirty years ago, the body and brain often respond as if the threat is still present.

Historical abuse and the rewired brain

Trauma is not simply a memory. It is an imprint. When someone experiences abuse, especially repeated or prolonged abuse, the brain adapts in order to survive. The amygdala becomes hyperalert. The nervous system remains on guard. The hippocampus, which helps us place memories in time, can struggle to file the experience away as something that is over.

In simple terms, abuse rewires the brain.

This is why historical abuse does not stay neatly in the past. A smell, a tone of voice, a news story or a relationship conflict can reactivate the original trauma. Survivors often tell me they feel foolish for being triggered by something that seems small. They say, “It happened years ago. I should be over it.” The reality is that trauma does not respond to logic. It responds to perceived threat.

Historical abuse can resurface at key points in life. This might be during menopause, after childbirth, during illness or retirement, for example, when life slows down enough for the nervous system to stop surviving and start remembering. Suppressed material can emerge. Flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, chronic anxiety, and difficulties with trust can all be part of this resurfacing.

This does not mean someone is broken. It means their brain did what it needed to do at the time.

For those living in current abuse, the reality is often far more complex than people imagine. Abuse is not always constant violence. It can be a pattern of control. Isolation. Gaslighting. Financial restriction. Intimidation. Intermittent kindness that creates confusion and hope.

The silence around abuse can be deafening

Victims may feel ashamed or may blame themselves. They may fear not being believed. They may depend financially or emotionally on the person harming them. Children may be involved. Cultural or religious pressures may compound the isolation. The abuser often works systematically to erode confidence and autonomy.

One of the most damaging aspects of coercive control is the distortion of reality. When someone is repeatedly told that they are overreacting, too sensitive or unstable, they begin to doubt their own perceptions. This psychological manipulation can be more destabilising than physical violence because it attacks identity itself.

Leaving an abusive situation is not simply a practical decision. It is a neurological and psychological process. The trauma bond that forms between abuser and victim is rooted in survival chemistry. Fear followed by relief creates powerful attachment patterns. Understanding this is essential if we are to truly support victims rather than judge them.

Therapy offers a space where survivors can begin to rebuild trust. Not only trust in others, but trust in themselves. Validation is powerful. To hear “What happened to you was not your fault” can be profoundly corrective.

Trauma-informed therapy focuses on stabilisation first, grounding skills, emotional regulation and understanding triggers. Only when someone has enough internal safety can deeper trauma processing begin.

This is where EMDR can help.

How EMDR supports trauma recovery

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is an evidence-based therapy designed specifically for trauma. Rather than requiring a person to repeatedly retell every detail of their abuse, EMDR works with the way memories are stored in the brain.

Through bilateral stimulation, usually guided eye movements, the brain is supported to reprocess traumatic memories so they become integrated rather than relived. The memory remains, but the emotional intensity shifts. The body no longer reacts as if the event is happening now.

Clients often describe feeling lighter. The shame reduces. The self-blame softens. They can recall the event without being overwhelmed. It is not about erasing history. It is about freeing the nervous system from being trapped in it.

In a world saturated with stories of abuse, we must hold two truths. Perpetrators must face consequences, systems must be challenged, and victims must not be forgotten.

Behind every headline is a human nervous system trying to survive. Our responsibility as therapists, communities and institutions is not only to demand accountability, but to actively support healing. When we do that, we shift the narrative from scandal to recovery, from outrage to restoration and from silence to empowered voice.

References

Gentsch A, Kuehn E. Clinical Manifestations of Body Memories: The Impact of Past Bodily Experiences on Mental Health. Brain Sci. 2022 May 3;12(5):594. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12050594. PMID: 35624981; PMCID: PMC9138975.

Shapiro F. The role of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in medicine: addressing the psychological and physical symptoms stemming from adverse life experiences. Perm J. 2014 Winter;18(1):71-7. doi: 10.7812/TPP/13-098. PMID: 24626074; PMCID: PMC3951033.