Healing the Body’s Memory: How EMDR Can Help You Move Past Medical Trauma

An innocent Friday afternoon. I was sitting in our admin room at New Life and answered a phone call from my radiologist:  Invasive Ductual Carcinoma.  My world stopped turning on its axis for a moment while I closed my eyes trying to track what my doc was saying.  Cancer.  I did not know all that would be involved in fighting cancer, but my nervous system was highly activated and stayed this way for nearly 11 months of cancer treatment. 

As a woman of Faith, with an active prayer life, I trusted God’s provision and care through the process, but I continued to consider what all would be required of me in order to cooperate with modern medical science.  I was not afraid of Death.  I was afraid of Suffering.   To address a Theology of Suffering is a different blog altogether. 

Only after I was “out of the woods” did I realize that the adrenaline and cortisol were not calming down.  Even after my oncologist playfully hollered that I needed to fire him, my insides were still on high alert.  I needed to be more proactive to help my nervous system rest.  And this is when I began to learn about EMDR and personally experienced profound relief from the hypervigilance that was meant to protect me but was costing far more than it helped.

When the Medical System Triggers the Nervous System

Medical trauma is unique because the threat often comes from the inside or from people we are supposed to trust. When you undergo an invasive procedure or face a sudden health crisis, your nervous system floods your body with adrenaline and cortisol. It triggers your stress response (fight, flight, freeze, or “caretake”).

Normally, once a stressful event ends, your brain processes the memory and files it away. But when a medical event is overwhelming, that processing system shorts out. The memory gets "stuck" in its raw, emotional form. Years later, walking into a doctor's office, smelling rubbing alcohol, or hearing a hospital gown crinkle can hijack your nervous system. Your body reacts as if the danger is happening all over again right now.

Rewiring the Story with Bilateral Stimulation

EMDR works by helping your brain finish the processing it couldn't complete during the trauma using something called bilateral stimulation (or BLS)—which simply means stimulating the left and right sides of your brain in an alternating pattern. This is usually done through guided eye movements, gentle alternating taps, or audio tones.

Think of bilateral stimulation as a way to keep one foot firmly planted in the safety of my therapy office while the other foot gently revisits the painful medical memory. This process unlocks the stuck memory, allowing your brain to reprocess it. EMDR does not erase your history. Instead, it takes the painful, terrifying edge off the memory. You will still remember what happened, but it will no longer trigger a full-blown panic response in your body. You move from feeling "I am in danger" to "That was hard, but I am safe now."

This held true for me so much so that when I was diagnosed with a second round of Cancer six years later, I was able to track without nearly the same level of threat and hypervigilance.  I was able to focus on my medical team’s coaching and treatment and mentally emerged from that great weight far more quickly.  Actually, I looked back on the second round of treatment and had a curious thought: “I did not know that my body was strong enough to handle that a second time!”

Your Next Step Toward Healing

You survived the medical crisis. Now, it is time to help your nervous system realize that the crisis is over. Healing is possible.  Your nervous system can relax.  You can inhale Peace once again.  You may reach me at leahmcdill@nlcc1.com. 

Leah Wilson Walker, PhD, LPC-S

Founder / Owner of New Life Counseling Center, PLLC

…and a medical veteran:  Type 1 diabetic, & cancer survivor