Imagine picking up a snow globe and giving it a good shake. For a few moments, everything inside is chaos, a blizzard of white, swirling so thickly you can't make out the little scene at the centre. You can't see clearly. There's no stillness, no order, just a flurry of movement. And then, if you set it down and leave it alone, something quietly miraculous happens. The snow begins to settle. Slowly, the water clears. And the scene inside comes back into view, whole and calm again.
For many of the people I work with, that shaken snow globe is exactly what living with unprocessed trauma feels like. I'm Rebecca Muller, a BABCP and EMDRUK accredited trauma therapist based in North Berwick, East Lothian, offering online EMDR and Trauma Focused CBT to clients across the UK and globally. If your inner world has felt like a blizzard you can't see through, this blog is for you, because there is a way to let the snow settle.
When Life Feels Like A Blizzard You Can't See Through
Trauma has a way of disturbing our whole sense of calm. When we've been through something overwhelming, it can feel as though we're permanently braced by being hypervigilant, anxious, unable to relax even when nothing is obviously wrong. Small things feel enormous. Sleep won't come, or won't stay. Concentration scatters. And just when things seem to be settling, something happens like a reminder, a trigger, a difficult day, and it's as though the globe gets shaken all over again.
If this is your experience, I want you to know it isn't a sign of weakness, and it certainly isn't 'all in your head' in the dismissive sense people sometimes mean. It's a very real, very physical response happening in your nervous system. When a memory hasn't been fully processed, your brain keeps it swirling, close to the surface, ready to be stirred up at the slightest disturbance. No wonder it's so hard to find peace.
Why The Snow Won't Settle On Its Own
You might reasonably ask this - if I just wait long enough, won't the snow settle by itself? Sometimes, with time and support, our natural resilience does help things calm down. But trauma is different. Unprocessed traumatic memories are like a snow globe that keeps getting knocked by every trigger, every difficult reminder, sets the blizzard swirling again before it ever has the chance to fully settle. Left alone, the globe never quite finds its stillness.
This is one of the reasons trauma can persist for months or even years after the event itself has passed. It's not that you haven't tried hard enough, or that you should be 'over it by now.' It's that the memory needs to be actively processed gently and safely before your nervous system can finally let it rest. Think of it like this: EMDR is the steady hand that finally sets the snow globe down and holds it still, carefully, patiently, so that everything inside can begin to settle and come clear.
How EMDR Helps The Snow Settle
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, is a structured, evidence based therapy recommended by NICE and available on the NHS for trauma and PTSD. What makes it so effective for that 'shaken snow globe' feeling is its careful, step-by-step approach. EMDR follows eight distinct phases, and I want to reassure you that we never rush into the difficult material. A great deal of the work happens in the early phases, where we focus entirely on helping you feel safe, steady, and resourced before any processing begins.
Once that foundation is in place, EMDR gently helps your brain reprocess the stuck memories that have been keeping the globe in a state of constant disturbance. Rather than forcing anything, it works with your brain's own natural ability to heal, allowing those memories to finally settle into the past, where they belong. As they do, that swirling anxiety and hypervigilance often begins to ease. The water clears. And the scene at the centre, your life, your sense of yourself comes back into view.
What 'Settled' Feels Like
Clients often describe the change in quiet, everyday terms. Sleeping through the night again. Being able to think clearly. Feeling present with their children or partner instead of somewhere far away. Noticing that a trigger which once would have floored them now passes, almost unremarkably. It isn't that life becomes perfect, or that difficult things never happen again. It's that the globe stays settled and when life does give it a shake, it clears far more quickly than it used to.
That settled clarity is not out of reach. For so many people, it's simply on the other side of the right support.
Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR For Trauma And Anxiety
Can EMDR help with anxiety, or is it only for PTSD?
While EMDR was originally developed for trauma and PTSD, it can also help with the anxiety, hypervigilance and unsettled feelings that often accompany unprocessed traumatic experiences. Many clients find their day-to-day anxiety eases as the underlying memories are processed.
What are the eight phases of EMDR?
EMDR follows eight structured phases, beginning with history taking and careful preparation to help you feel safe and resourced. Only once that foundation is in place does the reprocessing work begin, followed by phases that strengthen positive beliefs and check progress. Your therapist guides you through each one at a pace that's right for you.
Is EMDR safe if I feel very anxious or easily overwhelmed?
Yes. A well trained, accredited EMDR therapist spends significant time on stabilisation and grounding before any trauma processing begins, precisely so that you feel safe and in control. The work is always paced to stay within what you can manage.
You might also like to read Rebooting Your Brain: What EMDR Has In Common With Restarting A Frozen Computer, where I explore how EMDR helps an overwhelmed, "frozen" mind start moving freely again. Also, you may be interested to read The River And The Dam: How Trauma Blocks The Natural Flow Of Your Life, where I explore how EMDR helps restore the natural flow of your life after trauma.
Ready To Let The Snow Settle?
If life has felt like a blizzard you can't see through, please know that clarity and calm are possible. I offer a free, no pressure initial telephone conversation to talk through whether EMDR might be right for you. I currently hold a small waiting list, and I'll support you to prepare so that when we begin, you're ready. Whenever you feel the time is right, I'd be glad to hear from you.
If this resonated with you, you might also like to read The Butterfly Effect: How EMDR Helps You Metamorphose From Trauma To Freedom, where I explore how healing lets you transform and move forward.
Rebecca Muller BABCP & EMDRUK Accredited Trauma Therapist, offering online EMDR and Trauma Focused CBT across the UK and globally, from North Berwick, East Lothian.