EMDR or Somatic Experiencing? Choosing the Right Trauma Therapy
There isn’t one approach to trauma therapy that works for everyone. While EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of the most well-known trauma therapies, it isn't the only effective approach. Somatic Experiencing® offers a different approach. While EMDR primarily works by helping people process traumatic memories, Somatic Experiencing focuses on helping the nervous system recover from the effects of overwhelming experiences.
If you're exploring trauma therapy, understanding how these approaches differ can help you find the one that feels like the best fit for you.
Who I Am and Why I’m Talking About This
I'm Amy Hagerstrom, a licensed psychotherapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. I work with adults navigating chronic stress, anxiety, and trauma using a body-based approach that helps build greater capacity, resilience, and flexibility.
After moving from Chicago to South Florida, one difference stood out to me. In Chicago, Somatic Experiencing was a well-known option among trauma therapists. In South Florida, I found that many people had never heard of it. Instead, trauma therapy was almost always associated with EMDR.
I wrote this article because I want people to know there is more than one way to work with trauma. My goal isn't to convince anyone that Somatic Experiencing is better than EMDR. Both are respected trauma therapies and can be highly effective. Rather, I want people to understand how they differ so they can make a more informed decision about what feels like the right fit for them.
A quick note: I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and am not trained in EMDR. My description of EMDR is based on published research and my experience collaborating with EMDR therapists.
EMDR vs. Somatic Experiencing: What's the Difference?
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps people process traumatic memories so they no longer carry the same emotional intensity. It follows an eight-phase protocol that includes preparation, trauma processing, and integration. One of EMDR's defining features is bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, tapping, or alternating sounds, which is used while working with distressing memories.
EMDR is based on the idea that overwhelming experiences can become stored in a way that keeps them emotionally and physically activating long after the event has passed. By helping the brain reprocess these memories, many people experience a significant reduction in distress and gain a new perspective on what happened. For people who are ready to engage directly with traumatic memories, EMDR can be a highly effective treatment.
What is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based approach to trauma therapy that focuses on how trauma affects the nervous system. Rather than beginning with traumatic memories, SE helps people notice the physical sensations, emotions, and survival responses that continue to shape how they experience the present.
A core idea in Somatic Experiencing is that trauma is shaped not only by what happened to us, but also by how our nervous system responded when the experience overwhelmed our capacity to cope. Even years later, the body may continue to react as though danger is still present, leading to symptoms such as chronic tension, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, numbness, or difficulty feeling safe.
Instead of asking people to relive the past, SE helps them gradually develop the capacity to stay present with their internal experience without becoming overwhelmed. As the nervous system becomes more flexible and regulated, many of the protective patterns that once helped someone survive no longer need to remain active.
How Somatic Experiencing Complements EMDR
Somatic Experiencing and EMDR don't have to be viewed as competing approaches. For some people, they work well together.
If someone feels overwhelmed by the idea of beginning with traumatic memories, Somatic Experiencing can help them develop greater nervous system regulation and the ability to stay present before moving into memory-focused work. Likewise, some people find that after EMDR has reduced the emotional intensity of traumatic memories, Somatic Experiencing helps address the lingering physical patterns of tension, hypervigilance, or disconnection that remain.
While many people choose one approach or the other, they can also complement each other at different points in therapy.
Why Some People Choose Somatic Experiencing Instead
One of the reasons I was drawn to Somatic Experiencing is that I had already begun to recognize that talking and insight weren't always enough to create change. Somatic Experiencing gave me a way to include what was happening in the body and nervous system, helping people work with responses that can continue even when they understand where those responses come from.
Therapy can begin by helping you notice what is happening in your nervous system right now and gradually develop the capacity to stay present with difficult sensations and emotions. As that capacity grows, many people notice they have more flexibility in how they respond to stress and are better able to stay connected to themselves when difficult experiences arise.
How Trauma Continues to Affect the Nervous System
Trauma involves more than the memories we carry. It can also shape the way the nervous system responds long after an experience has ended.
After overwhelming experiences, the body may continue to organize itself around protection. This can look like chronic tension, hypervigilance, emotional overwhelm, numbness, difficulty relaxing, or feeling disconnected from yourself or others. These responses once helped you survive, but they can continue even when life is no longer dangerous.
Somatic Experiencing helps people gradually notice these protective patterns without becoming overwhelmed by them. Rather than pushing through distress or analyzing the past, therapy focuses on developing the capacity to stay present with what is happening in the body right now. The work unfolds gradually and at a pace your nervous system can tolerate. Over time, many people discover they can stay present with experiences that once felt overwhelming, without becoming flooded or shutting down.
As the nervous system becomes more flexible and better able to move in and out of activation, many of these protective patterns can begin to soften naturally. For many people, the result isn't simply fewer trauma symptoms. They find themselves feeling calmer, more grounded, more connected to themselves and others, and better able to respond to life's challenges without automatically falling back into survival mode.
Which Approach Is Right for You?
Both EMDR and Somatic Experiencing are respected, evidence-informed approaches to trauma therapy. Neither is inherently better than the other. The right choice depends on your needs, your goals, and what feels like the best fit for your nervous system.
For some people, EMDR's structured, memory-focused approach is exactly what they need. For others, Somatic Experiencing offers a way to work with the effects of trauma by paying attention to how past experiences are still showing up in the body and nervous system today. The two approaches can also be used together or at different points in therapy, depending on what someone needs.
Changes that happen through trauma therapy can begin to show up in everyday life. People may notice they recover more quickly after stress, feel less reactive, experience more ease in relationships, or feel more connected to themselves. While everyone's experience is different, these kinds of changes often reflect a nervous system that has become more flexible and better able to meet life's challenges.
If you're considering trauma therapy and wondering whether a somatic approach might be right for you, you can learn more about my approach to trauma therapy or read more about Somatic Experiencing.
I’m licensed in Florida and Illinois and provide online therapy to adults in both states. If you're interested in working together, you're welcome to reach out.