EMDR for early trauma and neglect
what is the early trauma protocol?
The Early Trauma Protocol is an EMDR protocol for early trauma and neglect held in implicit memory. It uses EMDR’s phase-based approach, but adapts the work for preverbal “felt-sense” material by processing in developmental time windows and using tactile bilateral stimulation (for example, ankle or knee tapping) rather than standard eye movements.
Early experiences are often encoded more in implicit memory than explicit narrative memory. That means the “data” may show up as body sensations, emotions, impulses, and felt sense. A common phenomenon here is an emotional flashback: an abrupt shift into fear/shame/panic/collapse or urgency (often without pictures) that can feel like it’s happening now.
Possible experiences of early trauma and neglect may include: traumatic pregnancy or delivery, early surgeries or hospitalizations, early medical illnesses, failure to thrive, to name a few.
The Four Steps of the Early Trauma Protocol
The following is a brief overview of the main steps. Please note that there is substantially more involved in the treatment than is described in this brief summary:
Containment
A reliable method is developed to set aside anything that is not being worked on in the moment, so the work stays within the window of tolerance and sessions can end with minimal activation.
Establishing a felt sense of safety
A felt sense of safety is strengthened as the starting point for processing, often by identifying and reinforcing a naturally occurring safe state in the body. The first two steps require consistent in-between-session practice to enhance regulation and stabilization.
Resetting the Affective Circuits
This step aims to clear and “reset” the affective circuits so core emotions can function as intended, conducting emotional information between the brain and body rather than remaining congested by maladaptive early learning or inhibitions about whether emotions are safe. It draws on Jaak Panksepp’s affective neuroscience model of subcortical, hardwired emotional systems.
For complex trauma histories or marked emotional dysregulation, this phase may require additional preparation, most commonly ego state work, psychoeducation about healthy emotion, the neurobiology of trauma, and sometimes somatic work.
Clearing the early trauma by time windows
Rather than targeting a single event, processing occurs in small developmental time periods using fractionation to keep the dose manageable. Clearing happens by processing small time periods, beginning with conception, then moving through gestation in the womb, birth, and continuing through the first three years of life.
Mechanics
Early experiences in infancy are largely held as a “felt” sense. This means that the processing focuses less on the conscious, cognitive information held by adults and more on the “baby’s” story. For this reason, the felt sense becomes an effective entry point for working with early, emotionally overwhelming experiences so they can be reprocessed and cleared.
In the Early Trauma Protocol, reprocessing is typically facilitated through gentle ankle tapping while you are reclined in a comfortable chair. Sometimes, we may opt to tap the knees or have you hold the tactile tappers while we establish a comfortable distance.
Assessment and readiness
Before processing early developmental material, we assess readiness and appropriateness, which includes:
- Taking a brief history
- Assessing for level of present safety and stability
- Capacity to experience/ tolerate emotion and body sensation
- Internal conflicts that may block trauma resolution
- Medical concerns
- Substance use.
If there is evidence of significant dissociation (e.g., “going blank,” losing time, feeling unreal), that typically means we prioritise more preparation and stabilisation before any processing. That is not a delay. It is the work.
Intensive or Week-by-Week Treatment
The practice offers 2–4 hour intensive sessions for early trauma reprocessing. Longer blocks make it easier to settle into a safe state, do the reprocessing, and close carefully with minimal disruptions.
Week-by-week treatment remains an option when one wants to use their insurance coverage, intensives are not feasible, longer stabilization is required, when a steadier pace or long-term work is preferred. In that format, it is common for the clearing process to take months, depending on the extent of early trauma or neglect and the protective learning that developed in response.
Is the Early trauma protocol right for you?
This format can be appropriate if:
- You have difficulty identifying target memories for the standard protocol, or float-back consistently points to very early experiences.
- You present with early attachment disruption, early medical trauma, early neglect, adoption or multiple placements, traumatic pregnancy or delivery, frightening or unsafe caregiving, or other early adverse conditions.
- You can maintain regulation and dual attention with adequate preparation, and the work is clinically indicated.
- You are willing/ comfortable to commit time and resources to complete the process.
This approach is deep developmental work, and it is not linear or performative. Many clients notice a gradual embodied shift towards increased stability, greater affect tolerance, and a steadier relationship to self and others.
FAQ
Do I need to remember my early life?
No. Most people do not have conscious recall from the first three years of life, but early experience can still be held in implicit memory and show up through body and emotion.
What if I dissociate or "go blank"?
That is important clinical information, not failure. It usually means we slow down and prioritise stabilisation, resourcing, and pacing before attempting deeper processing.
How long will it take?
It is not always possible to predict in advance how much time will be needed to clear early disturbance. The required duration varies based on how much trauma or neglect occurred, and how strongly those early experiences shaped protective patterns.