How EMDR Helps with Trauma and Anxiety After a Car Accident
How EMDR Helps with Trauma and Anxiety After a Car Accident
Healing After a Car Accident: How EMDR Can Help You Move Forward
A car accident can shake you to your core. Even if your body walks away with minimal injuries, your nervous system might still be stuck in the moment of impact—reliving the fear, replaying the “what ifs,” and reacting with anxiety long after the event has passed.
If you’ve been in a car accident and you’re feeling stuck, anxious, or hyper-alert behind the wheel, you’re not alone. The emotional aftershocks of trauma can last weeks, months, or even years—and they’re not “just in your head.” Fortunately, there’s a proven approach to help you recover: EMDR therapy.
What Is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful therapy method that helps people process and heal from traumatic experiences. It works by helping the brain reprocess distressing memories so they no longer feel so charged or overwhelming.
Using bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping), EMDR helps you safely revisit painful memories without getting stuck in them. You don’t have to relive the trauma—you just need to notice what’s coming up, moment by moment, as your brain does the work of healing.
Why Car Accidents Often Leave a Lasting Impact
Car accidents can trigger a wide range of emotional responses:
Anxiety about driving or being a passenger
Flashbacks or vivid memories of the crash
Panic when hearing certain sounds (like screeching brakes)
Sleep disturbances or nightmares
Feeling "on edge" or hyper-vigilant
Avoidance of roads, highways, or driving altogether
Even if you logically know you're safe now, your nervous system might still be reacting as if you're in danger. That’s where EMDR comes in—it helps your brain update that memory and file it away as something that happened in the past, not something that’s still happening now.
How EMDR Helps After a Car Accident
In EMDR, we don’t just talk about what happened—we work with how your body and brain stored the memory. Together, we identify the thoughts, images, sensations, and beliefs that still feel stuck.
For example, after an accident, you might hold a belief like:
“I’m not safe in a car” or “It was my fault.”
Through EMDR, we help shift that belief to something more adaptive, like:
“I did the best I could” or “I am safe now.”
Clients often report that after EMDR, the memory of the accident feels more distant or less emotional. They may find themselves able to drive again with confidence, sleep more peacefully, or simply feel like themselves again.
EMDR Can Be Effective in Just a Few Sessions
One of the reasons I love EMDR is because it doesn’t have to take years. For a single incident trauma like a car accident, EMDR can be incredibly effective in a relatively short amount of time. Many clients experience significant relief in just a few sessions or through an EMDR intensive, where we work more deeply in a focused time frame.
You Don’t Have to Stay Stuck
If you’ve been carrying anxiety, fear, or trauma since a car accident, I want you to know there’s help—and hope. EMDR therapy offers a path forward. You can feel calm in your body again. You can get back behind the wheel without fear. You can heal.
Ready to take the first step?
Schedule a free consultation to see if EMDR is right for you. Together, we’ll create a plan to help you move forward—feeling safe, grounded, and back in the driver’s seat of your life.
About Jackie Curry, LCSW
Jackie Curry is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified EMDR Therapist based in Portland, Oregon. She specializes in helping women who feel like they have to hold it all together—supporting them in releasing anxiety, processing trauma, and finding relief from overwhelm. Jackie offers both traditional EMDR therapy and EMDR therapy intensives for individuals ready to heal more deeply and efficiently.