EMDR: Getting Over Past Trauma for GoodEMDR: Getting Over Past Trauma for Good
The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast
Dr Daniel and Tana Amen talk through Tana’s history of hidden trauma, brain scans, and scepticism about EMDR, then share how trauma-focused therapy, EMDR and mindset tools shifted her relationships and sense of self. The conversation highlights how facing difficult memories can feel intense at first but may lead to meaningful emotional and family healing.
47:13•22 May 2026
EMDR, Brain Scans and Breaking Free from Old Trauma
Episode Overview
- EMDR can quickly connect scattered traumatic memories and reduce their emotional charge without years of traditional talk therapy.
- Brain scans may show trauma and ADHD patterns that explain why certain medications, like some antidepressants, can worsen impulsivity and judgement for specific people.
- Denying trauma is common, and accepting that experiences were not "normal" often triggers anger and grief before genuine relief.
- Questioning painful thoughts, as taught by Byron Katie, and even naming the mind can help you stop believing every thought you have.
- Working through trauma can open the door to repairing long-broken family relationships and parenting from a healthier place.
“Maybe there’s a chance that life is better than this, that I don’t have to hide so much.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober and mentally steady when old wounds keep getting triggered? This episode of The Brain Warrior’s Way zooms in on trauma, EMDR, and the messy, very human side of healing. Dr Daniel Amen and Tana Amen share the early days of their relationship, when Tana’s past was still running the show from backstage.
Brain scans showed trauma and ADHD patterns she didn’t believe in, and medication choices that made her behaviour worse rather than better. As she puts it, Prozac “almost ruined my life,” suddenly making reckless behaviour feel strangely acceptable. The conversation walks through what EMDR actually looks like in practice, from Tana’s hard "I am not traumatised" denial to sitting with an EMDR therapist and being stunned as “weird random thoughts” started joining up like pieces of a puzzle.
She describes realising, “Maybe there’s a chance that life is better than this, that I don’t have to hide so much,” and admits it got harder before it got easier: anger, grief and a very different view of her childhood and her mum. You’ll also hear how other tools, like Byron Katie’s questions about stressful thoughts and naming your mind (Dr Amen calls his ‘Hermie’), helped separate old stories from present reality.
The episode touches on eating disorders, cancer, chaotic families and repairing a broken relationship with a father she once wrote off completely. This one is especially relatable if you’ve grown up around addiction, chaos or abuse, or if you’ve worn a "shiny" facade while quietly falling apart inside. It’s honest, occasionally funny, and very much about the hope that your brain, your past and your relationships don’t have to stay the way they started.
Could EMDR or trauma work be the missing piece in your recovery toolkit?
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