Why do I need EMDR when my concern is dissatisfaction with my body?

Many of us do not realize we have lived through traumatic or distressing life experiences typically due to social, racial, or parental gaslighting, normalizing, or the protective parts that help us detach from those memories. Unfortunately, the impact of unprocessed trauma and distressing life events will not simply go away if we stop thinking about them or numb them through other means (food, exercise, attempt to control our size and weight, self-harm, substance use, etc.). They will continue to impact our mental, emotional, and physical health.

Dissatisfaction with our body and an attempt to “fix” it, is one way we can protect the more vulnerable (often child parts) from the emotional pain or distressing feelings that come up because of those experiences. There is so much to uncover about what moved you toward rejecting or attempting to control your body. Especially when you’re living in a marginalized body (fat, black, brown, etc.), a body that (cult)ure and white supremacy have deemed unacceptable. This distress and racial stress impact your ability to live a self-defined and empowered life. EMDR can help you uncover the roots of feeling worthless, lonely, emotionally overwhelmed, or like an imposter, facilitate a connection with your inherent ability to heal, learn to listen with curiosity and trust in what your body is communicating to you; and help you let go of the belief that you would feel better if only your body conformed to external expectations.