Healing Reproductive Trauma with EMDR
This guest blog post was written by Allie Stefanelli, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social and EMDR practitioner in Natick, MA, who specializes in perinatal mental health and reproductive trauma.
Most people would agree that the reproductive period is a dynamic season of life marked by excitement and joy but also anxiety and uncertainty. Less commonly acknowledged, however, are experiences of reproductive trauma: when events preceding, during, and after a pregnancy cause a level of stress or grief that has a lasting impact on wellbeing. The therapeutic modality of EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, goes beyond coping and offers a path towards healing by helping resolve unprocessed trauma.
What Is Trauma?
According to the Center for Health Care Strategies, trauma refers to exposure to one or more emotionally disturbing or life-threatening events that have lasting adverse effects on an individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, and/or spiritual well-being. This definition highlights that trauma isn’t only about the event itself but also about the enduring impact it has on a person’s ability to function.
As discussed in The Body Keeps the Score, trauma is stored in the brain in a fragmented way, which causes us to interpret and process current experiences through the lens of past ones. This can lead to heightened reactivity to situations, stimuli (such as sounds, smells, or sights), emotions, and stress. It’s not uncommon for the body’s automatic reactions to feel disproportionate to the present moment. That’s because the brain and body are responding through the filter of unresolved, unhealed experiences—amplifying both the situation and our emotional response.
Reproductive Trauma
With this understanding of trauma, it may still feel difficult to apply the specific term reproductive trauma. Put simply, reproductive trauma refers to trauma related to events occurring during or in connection with the reproductive process. Examples include infertility, pregnancy loss, infant loss, complex maternal/fetal medical diagnoses, traumatic births, NICU stays, and post-birth complications affecting the parent or baby. This list is far from exhaustive—many experiences within the reproductive period can be traumatic.
While labeling trauma as reproductive in nature isn’t strictly necessary, it can be an important first step in identifying, validating, and understanding the unique emotional terrain these experiences often bring. This is especially important as most of these challenges are often minimized, overlooked or otherwise marginalized. With this lens, treatment can be more precisely tailored to support the complex needs of those affected.
Signs of unresolved reproductive trauma may include hypervigilance around safety, flashbacks, disproportionate emotional responses (anger, sadness, overwhelm), avoidance of triggers, and heightened anxiety or depression. These symptoms can feel particularly confusing if you’ve already engaged in therapy but still feel “stuck” or struggle to manage automatic thoughts, behaviors, and reactions.
Using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to Treat Reproductive Trauma
Psychotherapy—including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Relational Therapy, and other talk therapy modalities—can be invaluable in addressing trauma-related symptoms. However, for some individuals, these approaches may not fully reach the areas of the brain where trauma remains “stuck.” In such cases, therapies that access deeper processing systems in the brain may be more effective. One such modality is EMDR.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy designed to reduce the nervous system’s reactivity to triggers while also reprocessing trauma-related information that the brain was unable to fully process at the time of the event. EMDR is grounded in the belief that our brains are naturally capable of adaptive information processing. However, during trauma, this process can become overwhelmed or disrupted, leading to memories being stored without full context—such as time, space, or appropriate sensory signals. This disruption keeps us stuck in a reactive state, often accompanied by persistent triggers and negative beliefs.
EMDR works by tapping into the brain’s innate processing system to reprocess traumatic memories. The goal is to shift negative core beliefs (e.g., I’m not safe, I can’t handle this, It’s my fault) into more adaptive, resilient ones (e.g., I am strong, I am enough, I did my best). EMDR also helps reduce automatic nervous system responses to triggering stimuli—such as returning to certain doctor’s offices, bodily sensations, or everyday healthcare interactions involving yourself or your baby.
Moving Toward Healing
Recognizing and addressing reproductive trauma is a deeply personal and often courageous step. Whether your experience feels clearly traumatic or simply “harder than expected,” it’s important to honor the impact it’s had on your life and well-being. You are not alone in this, and your reactions are valid. EMDR offers a path toward healing that goes beyond coping—helping to resolve what’s been left unprocessed and restore a sense of safety, clarity, and resilience. With the right support, it is possible to move forward—not by forgetting, but by integrating these experiences into your story in a way that empowers you to thrive.
Allie Stefanelli is a psychotherapist and the founder of Riverview Psychotherapy in Natick, MA, where she focuses her work on perinatal trauma. She has extensive experience supporting those navigating trauma in the maternal and perinatal period and holds certificates in Traumatic Stress Studies, Perinatal Mental Health and EMDR. Contact Allie at astefanelli@riverviewpsychotherapy.com and https://www.riverviewpsychotherapy.com