Why EMDR Therapy Can Take Longer for Complex Trauma

And Why That’s Not a Sign of Failure
If you've been exploring EMDR therapy and wondering why your progress feels slower than what you’ve seen on TV or heard from other people, you're not alone. EMDR is a powerful therapy - but it’s often portrayed in ways that don’t necessarily reflect the  experiences of those with complex trauma.
Let’s unpack why EMDR can feel different (slower, more demanding) for those who’ve lived through repeated or early life trauma, and why that’s completely normal.

EMDR and Your Brain’s Healing System
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) helps people heal from trauma by activating the brain’s Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) system. This system is like your brain’s natural healing mechanism - it helps you make sense of difficult experiences and file them away in a healthy way.
For many people, the AIP system is supported by core internal beliefs such as:

• “I’m safe now.”
• “I am worthy.”
• “I can handle hard things.”
• “People can support me.”

When something traumatic happens, like a car accident or a single violent event -EMDR helps the person revisit that memory, reprocess it, and return to those underlying deeper, positive beliefs. It's as if the trauma has temporarily obscured or distorted their view of themselves and the world - and EMDR therapy can help clear those trauma debris with relative ease. It’s why we sometimes hear stories of people feeling dramatically better in just a few sessions.

But What If Those Beliefs Were Never There to Begin With?
This is where complex trauma is different.
If you grew up in a household where you were neglected, abused, criticised, or had to only yourself to rely on from a young age, your brain may have never had the chance to form those adaptive foundational beliefs. Instead, you may have internalised beliefs like:

• “I don’t matter.”
• “Something is wrong with me.”
• “It’s not safe to trust.”
• “I have to be perfect to be okay.”

In these cases, EMDR isn’t just about processing the traumatic or adverse experiences - you have to do the additional work to build the positive, stabilising beliefs that many others already have. And that takes time and patience.

EMDR Alone Often Isn’t Enough for Complex Trauma
For EMDR to be truly effective, there needs to be something solid to return to - some sense of safety, self-worth, or hope - in the aftermath of trauma. That’s why for people with complex trauma, EMDR is often combined with other therapies to help build those internal structures.
These may include, among others:

• Parts Work (Ego State Therapy, Internal Family Systems, etc) – to support internal safety and communication between different “parts” of you
• DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) – to help with emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness
• Somatic (body-based) therapies – to support nervous system regulation
• Psychoeducation – to help you understand trauma, triggers, and the healing process in your own brain and body

You might spend periods of time focusing more on resourcing and stabilisation than on direct trauma processing  - and that’s not a delay. That is the work. While parts of you may feel impatient, and want to "just be done with it" - your whole self may not be ready. 

So How Long Does It Take?
The truth is: healing complex trauma often takes years, not weeks or months. The traumatic and damaging experiences have often occurred and accumulated over a number of many years. Many people alternate between phases of resourcing and trauma processing over time. This is normal. This is safe. This is sustainable.
EMDR is still an incredibly powerful tool, but the journey looks different when your trauma has happened early, was relational, and prolonged.

What You’ve Seen in the Media Isn’t the Whole Story
Most EMDR success stories featured in the media are based on single-event traumas- a soldier returning from war, a survivor of a car crash, a person who witnessed a crime. These are real and valid stories, but they don’t represent the reality of those healing from years of emotional neglect, attachment injury, or complex abuse.
If EMDR is taking longer for you, it doesn’t mean it’s not working. It means:

• Your system is protecting you.
• You’re building the internal ground that others might have had from the start.
• You’re doing courageous, slow, necessary work.

The Bottom Line
Complex trauma requires compassion, patience, and an integrative approach. EMDR is just one piece of the puzzle, and when used within a supportive, flexible therapy process, it can help you create powerful and lasting change.
Take your time. You’re not behind. You’re building something real. Don't give up!