Therapy With Zahra

EMDR Therapy Through the Lens of Inside Out 2

While Inside Out 2 introduces new emotions like Anxiety, Embarrassment, and Envy as arriving in adolescence, we know from developmental research that complex emotions often emerge much earlier. For children who’ve experienced relational trauma, emotions like anxiety and shame may come online far before the teen years — sometimes as early as toddlerhood.

This has real implications in therapy. In EMDR, we often trace maladaptive beliefs like “I’m a burden” or “It was my fault” back to early childhood experiences, not just adolescent ones. Trauma accelerates emotional complexity — and for many clients, the “control center” inside isn’t shifting for the first time at age 13. It’s been adapting, sometimes defensively, since the earliest moments of life.

So while Inside Out 2 gives us a helpful metaphor, it’s important to remember that the emotional architecture of the brain is both more layered than the film suggests. Let’s continue.

For those unfamiliar, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy that helps people process distressing memories and the unhelpful beliefs that get attached to them. Inside Out 2 gives us visual language for something that is often hard to describe: how emotional memories shape our core beliefs and sense of self — and how we can begin to shift that. In many ways, the film offers a metaphor for how EMDR helps the brain process both adaptive and maladaptive information.

Memories and Meaning

This aligns with the Adaptive Information Processing model (AIP) at the heart of EMDR. AIP suggests that our brains are naturally wired to process experiences and move toward healing — but sometimes, when something overwhelming or painful happens, that experience gets stuck. These stuck memories often carry emotional intensity, negative beliefs (like “I’m not safe” or “I’m not good enough”), and body sensations that feel just as real today as they did back then.

How Memory Processing Looks in EMDR

If you’re considering EMDR, know this: you don’t have to carry painful experiences alone or live according to beliefs that no longer serve you. EMDR can support your brain’s natural ability to heal, helping you build a more integrated, adaptive, and resilient sense of self — just like Riley does in her own beautifully messy journey.

Until next time,

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!