Can EMDR Bring Up Forgotten Memories?

Can EMDR Bring Up Forgotten Memories?

Short Answer: Sometimes a memory or detail you have not thought about in a long time may come to mind during EMDR. That does not necessarily mean EMDR has uncovered a hidden or “repressed” memory. Memories can come to mind when something reminds us of them, and EMDR involves intentionally focusing on memories, thoughts, feelings, and associations. If something unexpected comes up during EMDR, you can notice it without trying to decide immediately exactly what it means or whether every detail is accurate.

Key Takeaways

• A memory or detail you have not thought about for a long time may sometimes come to mind during EMDR.
• This does not mean EMDR has a special ability to uncover hidden memories.
• Memories are not perfect recordings and can change or become less accurate over time.
• You do not need to search for forgotten memories for EMDR to be useful.
• If an unexpected memory comes up during EMDR, you can simply notice it and continue at a pace that feels comfortable.

Why Might an Old Memory Come to Mind During EMDR?

EMDR involves focusing briefly on a memory, thought, feeling, image, or body sensation while using bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, sounds, or tapping.

As you focus on one experience, your mind may make connections to other experiences.

A particular feeling might remind you of another time you felt the same way. A place, person, image, or thought might bring another memory to mind. Sometimes the connection is obvious. Other times it may seem completely unexpected.

This is not unique to EMDR.

A smell can suddenly remind you of a childhood home. A song can bring back a memory you have not thought about for years. Seeing an old photograph can remind you of details you had almost forgotten.

Memory often works through associations and reminders. During EMDR, you are deliberately paying attention to memories and related thoughts, so it is possible for something you have not thought about recently to come to mind.

For example, people working through childhood trauma may notice that memories or details from earlier experiences come to mind during a session.

Does EMDR Unlock Repressed Memories?

It is better not to think of EMDR as a tool for unlocking or recovering hidden memories.

The idea of “repressed memories” has been debated for many years, and memory does not work like a video archive in which every experience is stored perfectly and can simply be retrieved later.

People can remember something they have not thought about for a long time. At the same time, human memory is not perfectly accurate. Details can be forgotten, changed, combined with other information, or remembered differently over time.

For that reason, the appearance of a memory during EMDR does not automatically prove that every part of the memory happened exactly as it is now remembered.

EMDR is designed to work with the memories, thoughts, feelings, and experiences that are meaningful to you now. You do not need to uncover a previously unknown memory for the process to be useful.

Can You Remember Something You Had Completely Forgotten?

It is possible for people to remember events they have not consciously thought about for a long time.

Sometimes a reminder brings the memory back unexpectedly. This can happen during everyday life as well as during therapy or self-reflection.

However, there is an important difference between:

• remembering something you simply have not thought about for years, and
• concluding that a previously inaccessible memory has been recovered exactly as it originally happened.

The first is an ordinary feature of memory. The second is much harder to establish with certainty.

So if an old memory appears during EMDR, you do not need to immediately label it a “recovered memory.” It may be more useful simply to recognize that something came to mind.

Does an Unexpected Memory Mean It Is Accurate?

Not necessarily.

This applies to memories that come up during EMDR and to memories in everyday life.

Human memory is reconstructive rather than a perfect recording of the past. We can remember the general experience accurately while getting some details wrong. Details can also become less clear over time.

A memory can feel vivid and convincing without that feeling alone proving that every detail is correct.

This does not mean you should assume an unexpected memory is false either.

You simply do not need to make an immediate judgment.

If a memory comes up during an EMDR session, you can notice what you remembered without trying to prove, disprove, investigate, or fill in missing pieces while you are doing the exercise.

Should You Try to Recover Forgotten Memories During EMDR?

No. There is no need to search for memories that you cannot currently remember.

If you already have a memory, thought, feeling, belief, or situation that you want to work on, you can work with what you actually know and remember.

You do not need to dig for an earlier event or assume there must be a hidden memory behind a current problem.

If another memory comes to mind naturally, you can notice it. But trying to force yourself to remember something may lead you away from the experience you originally wanted to work on.

With EMDR, the goal is not to uncover secrets from your past. The program gives you a structured way to work with the experiences and feelings that are relevant to you.

What If a Different Memory Comes Up During a Session?

This can happen.

You may begin with one memory and suddenly think about another experience. The second memory might feel closely related to the first, or the connection might not be obvious.

You do not have to figure out why it appeared.

Depending on what feels most useful, you can:

• Notice the memory and continue with your current target
• Make a brief note of it for another session
• Pause for a moment
• Choose to work with the new memory instead
• Leave it alone and return to it another time, if you want to

With self-guided EMDR, you remain in control of what you choose to focus on.

What If Only a Small Detail Comes Back?

Sometimes what comes to mind is not an entire forgotten event.

It might simply be:

• A person's face
• A particular room
• Something someone said
• A sound or smell
• A feeling you remember having
• The order in which something happened
• A detail you had not thought about for years

There is no need to turn a small recollection into something larger.

You can treat it as what it is: a detail that came to mind.

If more comes naturally, you can notice that too. If nothing else appears, there is no need to search for more.

What If No New Memories Come Up?

That is completely fine.

EMDR does not require new or forgotten memories to appear.

You may work entirely with memories you already know well. You may notice changes in thoughts or feelings without remembering anything new at all.

The appearance of additional memories is not a sign that EMDR is “working better,” and the absence of new memories does not mean the session was unsuccessful.

There is no particular memory experience you are supposed to have.

Can Self-Guided EMDR Bring Up Old Memories?

It can.

Because self-guided EMDR also involves focused attention and bilateral stimulation, an old memory or related thought may sometimes come to mind.

The same basic principle applies: you do not need to chase it, interpret it immediately, or assume that its appearance proves something about your past.

Virtual EMDR lets you control the pace. If another memory comes up, you can decide whether you want to continue, pause, make a note of it, or leave it for another time.

Conclusion

EMDR can sometimes bring an old memory or forgotten detail back to mind, but that does not mean EMDR is uncovering a hidden record of the past.

Memories can appear through ordinary associations, and human memory is not perfectly precise. If something unexpected comes up, there is usually no need to immediately analyze it, verify it, or search for more.

You can simply notice what came to mind and decide whether you want to continue working with it.

With EMDR, you choose what to focus on and how quickly to proceed. You can work with the memories and feelings you already know about without needing to uncover anything new.